Maun researchers scoop P1.4m for scent-based predator control project

In the country’s north-west, farmers and their livestock have fought a perennial war for survival against carnivorous predators, which all sides have been losing. Lives have been lost on both sides with farmers perennially counting the cost of losses, while key species such as the critically endangered African wild dog, have declined in population to a few handfuls of thousands.

Numerous interventions have had limited success. The electric fence barriers that are viewed as the most effective, are prone to damage and require high maintenance, besides being an expensive alternative for the expansive and remote wilderness where conflicts between farmers and predators occur.