#OneHealth, #OnePlanet, Ceva Wildlife Research Fund
13 January 2025

Ceva Wildlife Research Fund supports the BioBoundary project to resolve human-wildlife conflict and protect predators

The “BioBoundary project”, led by Dr. Peter Apps of Wild Entrust Africa’s Botswana Predator Conservation program, is pioneering a novel approach to reducing human-wildlife conflict by utilizing synthesized predator scent signals. This initiative seeks to deter predators that live in livestock areas, like leopards from preying on livestock, addressing a major source of tension between rural communities and wildlife.

When predators attack livestock, it causes economic strain for farmers and leads to retaliatory lethal control. To combat this, the BioBoundary project has developed chemical deterrents based on components of predator urine, such as 3-mercapto-3-methylbutanol (3M3MB). This compound is a component the natural scent signals leopards use to mark their territory borders, creating invisible “boundaries.”

Pilot studies in Botswana have shown encouraging results. For example, the deployment of 3M3MB at livestock kraals reduces predator presence and attacks, with four times fewer losses recorded during periods when the deterrents were active. Similarly, collars emitting 3M3MB protected free-ranging goats, highlighting the potential for wider application.

These results are promising, and research is being carried out to test 3M3MB on a larger scale on livestock ranches in Botswana, where predator-livestock conflict is an ongoing problem. BioBoundary researchers are also investigating additional compounds to improve efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability.

Ceva Wildlife Research Fund supports Peter Apps and his team in the second phase of their project to take the study of the effectiveness of 3M3MB on leopards to the next level. The Ceva Wildlife Research Fund provides financial support and expertise, enabling the deployment of GPS collars on monitored leopards.

These collars will track their movements across their territories, offering insights into their travel patterns between ranches and reactions to 3M3MB devices deployed in strategic locations. Additionally, a camera trapping system is strategically placed to capture footage of leopards interacting with the olfactory substance and observe their behavioral responses.

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