Prince Harry and Prince William hold an African rock python during a visit to Mokolodi Education Centre in Maun, Botswana.
Africa’s big cats and large predators are being tagged and their behavior researched by a team of scientists in the wilds of Botswana. The Botswana Predator Conservation Trust is led by husband and wife team Tico McNutt and Lesley Boggs. Founded in 1989, the Trust has expanded to cover all the large carnivore species in Botswana and is one of the longest running large predator research projects in Africa.
The goal of the trust is to preserve Africa’s large predators – African wild dog, cheetah, leopard, lion, and spotted hyena – and their habitats.
It is thought that Botswana has one of the largest wild populations of cheetahs and northern Botswana may be a key area for the persistence of cheetahs in the wild.
Founded as the Botswana Wild Dog Research Project in 1989, the Trust today covers all the large carnivore species in Botswana.
Leopards are the most elusive of the big cat species. Being solitary and secretive, leopards are one of the most challenging species to study.
Lions are the largest carnivore within the ecological system that BPCT study. They are the drivers of the movements and behavior of many of the other species that they study.
Despite being one of the most specialized hunters in the animal kingdom cheetahs are persecuted by larger predators who steal their kills.
