Dylan Feldmeier's research explores reintroduction & population dynamics of African wild dogs in Zambia's Greater Liuwa Ecosystem.
Drawing on ~20 years of research & monitoring, he examines how disease, competition, prey availability, & human activity shape long-term persistence.
Congratulations to the new Dr Guilherme Costa Alvarenga! 👏
Gui’s PhD used landscape-scale ecological modelling of jaguars in his native Brazil to assess population connectivity across the species’ entire geographical range.
A huge well done from everyone at WildCRU!
@biology.ox.ac.uk
Please submit your application by Tuesday 3rd March 2026. As the University charges an application fee, we urge interested people to first share their CV with us by emailing wildcru.diploma@biology.ox.ac.uk.
For more information about the Diploma👉 wildcru.org/study/diploma
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Applications for our Diploma in Wildlife Conservation are closing soon.
The course will run from October 2026 to May 2027. We have received applications from around the world, but would especially like to encourage those from the Middle East and China to express interest.
1/2 @biology.ox.ac.uk
We welcomed Toryn Whitehead (King’s College London) to explore rewilding, coexistence, and the extinction of experience.
He explored what is lost when animals disappear, how long-term absence shapes ideas of belonging, and the importance of conversations with sheep farmers and hunters in research.
His research uses long-term carnivore monitoring to understand how poaching affects space use and population trends in African wild dogs and spotted hyenas, and aims to predict wire snare risk across large landscapes.
Dylan's wildlife photography on Instagram (@dylan_feldmeier)
Meet PhD researcher Dylan Feldmeier
Dylan is part of the Zambian Carnivore Programme and has spent nearly a decade working across Eastern and Southern Africa on issues related to large carnivore ecology, conservation, and human–wildlife coexistence.
www.wildcru.org/members/dyla...
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Our Postgraduate Diploma in Wildlife Conservation is still open for applications.
Find out more about the course 👉https://wildcru.org/study/diploma/
Application deadline: Tuesday 3rd March 2026
Please first share your CV with us at wildcru.diploma@biology.ox.ac.uk
@biology.ox.ac.uk
Paper led by Elise Say-Sallaz and coauthored by WildCRU’s Lara Sousa, Justin Seymour-Smith, David Macdonald, and Andrew Loveridge.
10.02.2026 14:32 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
How do some of Africa’s top predators live side by side without constant conflict?
Using thousands of camera-trap photos from Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, researchers explored how lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas share space and time.
Read more 👉 doi.org/10.1002/oik....
@biology.ox.ac.uk
A Magellanic penguin nestled among dry, twisted branches under bright sunlight, with another penguin partially visible in the background. Image credit: © Joel Reyero, 2024
Should we protect an emblematic species if it comes at the cost of another – especially in ecosystems still recovering from human impact?
New research in collaboration with @wildcru.bsky.social researchers explores the ethical and ecological trade-offs.
➡️ Read more: https://tinyurl.com/2th925ts
New research @wildcru.bsky.social estimates >7000 adult penguins in one colony were killed in a four-year study; most weren't fully eaten, indicating they weren't all killed for food
But the study also indicates pumas alone are unlikely to drive the colony to extinction ⬇️
Pumas are reclaiming their historical range in Patagonia but they pose a threat to defenceless prey - Magellanic penguins.
A 4-year study estimates 7,000+ adult penguins were killed. Predation alone won’t cause extinction, but it can slow colony growth.
👉 doi.org/10.1016/j.jn...
@biology.ox.ac.uk
@biology.ox.ac.uk
03.02.2026 12:53 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Jaguars are threatened by habitat loss and persecution, but where can they still thrive?
Using GPS data from 172 jaguars, researchers mapped suitable habitat across their historic range, revealing strong selection for productive areas near water & away from human landscapes
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Research led by Chiara Fraticelli and coauthored by WildCRU’s Claudio Sillero-Zubiri and Hans Bauer.
29.01.2026 13:43 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
In floodplains around Zakouma National Park, Chad, nomadic herders and settled farmers lose livestock, mainly to spotted hyenas and disease.
Nomads lose more in the dry season, while losses rise for farmers in the wet season, requiring tailored solutions
doi.org/10.1111/aje....
@biology.ox.ac.uk
WildCRU is happy to be supporting @saveourwildcats.bsky.social with their continued efforts to restore Scottish wildcat populations.
29.01.2026 11:42 — 👍 11 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
Ecology terms can be deceptively similar but their meanings matter.
Using mesopredator and mesocarnivore interchangeable blurs our understanding of how species function in ecosystems. Researchers call for context-specific language to communicate clearly.
doi.org/10.1002%2Fec...
@biology.ox.ac.uk
The next Postgraduate Diploma in Wildlife Conservation will run from October 2026 until May 2027 in Oxford's new Life and Mind Building.
Application deadline: Tuesday 3rd March 2026.
Please first share your CV with us: wildcru.diploma@biology.ox.ac.uk
wildcru.org/study/diploma/
@biology.ox.ac.uk
@biology.ox.ac.uk
22.01.2026 11:09 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Join Guilherme Costa Alvarenga on the Aussie Wildlife Show.
From jaguar movement and colouration to hunting strategy and human-jaguar conflict, Gui shares insights from his PhD and fieldwork, including how native Brazilian wildlife shaped his career path.
Listen 👉 open.spotify.com/episode/5jZK...
Proposed bans on importing hunting trophies to Europe fuel major debate, but what does the public think?
A study in Germany shows low overall acceptance of elephant and zebra trophy hunting, with views shaped by personal values and detailed hunt context.
doi.org/10.1016/j.bi...
@biology.ox.ac.uk
Paper led by Peter Lindsey and co-authored by WildCRU’s Samantha Nicholson and Andrew Loveridge.
@biology.ox.ac.uk
Africa’s lions are increasingly targeted for the illegal wildlife trade, driven by demand for their body parts and linked to organised transnational crime. This hidden threat risks severe population declines and local extinctions without urgent action.
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
Stronger anti-poaching efforts, law enforcement, and habitat restoration are urgently needed to protect these iconic species.
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New research found major declines between 2014 and 2023, especially in areas with severe habitat loss and weak protection.
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Lions, leopards, and hyaenas are essential to healthy ecosystems, but they are disappearing from Cameroon’s Benoué region.
Read the paper led by Serge Kamgang 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
[1/3] @biology.ox.ac.uk
Congratulations to the new Dr Yusuf Samsudin! 👏
During his PhD, Yusuf has combined humanities, social science, and natural science to better understand how elephants coexist with different communities in Sumatra, Indonesia.
A huge well done from everyone at WildCRU!
@biology.ox.ac.uk
Congratulations to the new Dr Chrishen Gomez! 👏
Throughout his PhD, Chrishen’s passion for Bornean wildlife has shaped his research, with a focus on exploring the use of DNA technology to understand the population histories of Sunda clouded leopards on the island.
A huge well done from WildCRU!
