Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

Wildlife resources in southern Africa are remarkably beautiful, ecologically indispensable, and culturally critical to people of the region. Unfortunately, those who reside in rural areas (veldt) face remarkable risks every day when living and dealing with lions, leopards, elephants, crocodiles, and other creatures that go “bump” in the night. The loss of human life and limb is higher than most would ever think. In addition, loss of livestock and crops to wildlife is widespread and can be locally severe. The significance and severity of human-wildlife conflicts in southern Africa seem to be an order of magnitude greater than in North America. During the last decade, I have had the good fortune to work on several projects, including field research, lectures, symposia, keynote addresses, internships, and a reference book dealing with human-wildlife conflicts in southern Africa. It has been a lifechanging experience. This paper provides details on the projects we have established to help resolve human-wildlife conflicts in southern Africa.