Research News

Wildlife plays important role in maintaining healthy societies and ecosystems

Posted on March 03, 2021

World Wildlife Day is celebrated on 3 March every year and focuses on forest-based livelihoods and seeks to promote forest and forest wildlife management models and practices that accommodate both human well-being and the long-term conservation of forests, forest-dwelling species of wild fauna...

Ground-breaking study reveals colonies of mole-rats communicate with each other in their own dialect

Posted on January 29, 2021

A study by a team of scientists at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin, Germany and the University of Pretoria (UP) has found that naked mole-rats can communicate with one another within their own colony. They do this with a unique dialect that is specific to that...

Fencing-in of Botswana elephants could explain why 350 elephants died in one area, reveals UP-led study

Posted on January 25, 2021

An international study led by the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Professor Rudi van Aarde suggests that the mass die-off of 350 elephants in one area of northern Botswana last year could be attributed to the fencing-in of these animals.

UP alumnus and research associate wins Population Ecology Young Author Award

Posted on November 24, 2020

Dr Chris Oosthuizen, an alumnus of UP’s Department of Zoology and Entomology and a research associate with UP’s Marion Island Marine Mammal Programme, was recently awarded the Population Ecology Young Author Award.

Three UP researchers elected to Academy of Science of South Africa

Posted on October 16, 2020

Three internationally renowned researchers from UP's Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences - Professor Roumen Anguelov, Professor Andre Ganswindt and Professor Sheryl Hendriks - have been elected to the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).

UP Whale Unit to gather data on dwindling southern right whale populations during 41st aerial survey

Posted on September 28, 2020

The Whale Unit at the University of Pretoria’s Mammal Research Institute (MRI) will be conducting this year’s aerial survey of southern right whales from 28 September to mid-October. This is the 41st annual southern right whale photo-identification aerial survey, making it one of the...

Official opening of shared research lab’s new home supports interdisciplinary research at UP

Posted on December 16, 2019

“Interdisciplinary research is a key competency for research-intensive universities such as the University of Pretoria, and we need to enable and amplify interdisciplinary research programmes so that we develop the capacity to respond meaningfully to global change challenges.” These...

Results of 2019 annual aerial survey for southern right whales

Posted on October 14, 2019

The 2019 survey observed the second lowest number of right whales along our shores in October since 1995.