In March, Dr. Leslie Ruyle and a new cohort of enthusiastic students from Texas A&M University visited the Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB) camp for another hands-on collaboration aimed at addressing human-wildlife conflict through practical innovation toward co-existence.
 
Over four days in the Ghanzi District, the team worked closely with CCB staff and local farmers to refine technology-driven predation and livestock management interventions. Their visit built on earlier research, including the pilot testing of the “crazy cat eyes” predator deterrent – a motion-activated device designed to ward off nocturnal carnivores by emitting high-frequency sounds. Together with CCB’s Human-Wildlife Coexistence Coordinator, Rethabile Setlalekgomo, the team serviced previously installed equipment, assessed deterrent effectiveness, and adapted the device to better meet farmers’ needs in real-world conditions.
 
A visit to Tshwaragano cattle post in New Xade – where leopard and African Wild Dog predation remains high as it borders the Central Kalahari Game Reserve – brought important conversations to the fore. Farmers described how the area’s high salinity borehole water forces herders to leave livestock unattended while collecting drinkable water from distant sources. Recognising this as a hidden driver of predator conflict, the students used their meal-prep down-time to mull over this and committed to exploring designs for a low-cost reverse osmosis filtration system to address the issue upon their return this May.
 
Additional proposals welcomed by farmers included kraal gate sensors, QR-coded stickers for government ear tags, and automated livestock tracking through Ceres-compatible systems. The team conducted on-site measurements of livestock and kraals to ensure the technologies would be locally adaptable. This venturing into utilising tailored technological tools is still in its early stages for Botswana and the Ghanzi region, and it’s encouraging to see how open farming communities are to evaluating their effectiveness through trial and error.
 
Back at the CCB camp, preparations also got underway for elephant deterrents – a mix of chili, dung, eggs, and other natural ingredients – formulated to shield vulnerable infrastructure like water tanks from elephant damage. The terrain of the district is not favourable to these gentle giants – thus making them an anomaly to residents – however, the impact of climate change in the country has exacerbated their frequency in the region; therefore requiring timely intervention.
 
Looking ahead, Dr. Ruyle’s return with more students over the May-June period will see the deployment of new oversight and protective technologies like cattle-counting gate sensors, QR-tagged livestock IDs, and enhanced predator deterrents; and the pilot installation of the water filter system at Tshwaragano cattle post.

This enduring partnership between CCB and Texas A&M continues to demonstrate the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, where community needs, conservation science, and creative engineering come together to build real-world solutions for productive coexistence.
 
This enduring partnership between CCB and Texas A&M continues to demonstrate the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, where community needs, conservation science, and creative engineering come together to build real-world solutions for productive coexistence.