Dedication to animal disease control research

Posted on August 31, 2018

Prof Armanda Bastos has always cared for animal welfare, but it was probably her first field trip to the Kruger National Park as a veterinary researcher that inspired her most to dedicate her professional life to animal disease control research. As part of a research team, Prof Bastos was...

White rhinos communicate through their ablution habits

Posted on July 19, 2018

A study by a University of Pretoria researcher into the ablution habits of white rhinos in the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, has revealed that these animals use their place of defecation to communicate with each other and take decisions that can affect their ecology.

How adapting to different climates has helped a pest spread across the globe

Posted on July 08, 2018

The Mediterranean fruit fly can evolve rapidly to different environmental conditions, this suggests it will be well suited to cope with climate change.

Woody plants are changing Africa’s savannas — and this may have an impact on all of us

Posted on May 09, 2018

An increase in indigenous plant life does not sound like a bad thing, but when woody plants threaten to change savanna ecosystems (that cover approximately 13.5 million square kilometres of Africa alone), there is cause for concern.

Hot birds in the hot seat

Posted on February 22, 2018

Prof Andrew McKechnie of the Department of Zoology and Entomology was recently awarded the South African Research Chair in Conservation Physiology. The Chair is hosted by the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa and co-hosted by the University of Pretoria (UP).

Mammals move less in human-modified landscapes

Posted on February 02, 2018

Mammals move shorter distance in human-modified landscapes, which may affect ecosystems and society.

Forests are living on the edge – and this is not a good thing

Posted on November 21, 2017

The University of Pretoria's Dr Pieter Olivier is part of an international collaboration whose work was recently published in Nature. The study highlights how biodiversity is changing as a result of deforestation.

Unravelling the mysteries of meerkat behaviour

Posted on November 08, 2017

Researchers at the University of Pretoria form part of the Kalahari Meerkat Project in the Northern Cape's Kuruman River Reserve, which has studied groups of wild meerkats for over 20 years.