JESSIE BERNDT

Funded by Ceva Wildlife Research Fund and the APWG. The pangolins in the study form part of the world first reintroduction of Temminck’s pangolin into an area where they were locally extinct for four decades. This project is the brainchild of the APWG together with andBeyondPhinda and is taking place on the Munyawana Conservancy and the andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve. This PhD is entitled: Adaptive behavior, habitat use and ecological traits of Temminck’s pangolin Smutsia temminckii reintroduced into a large conservation area in northern KwaZulu-Natal. This study will answer many questions and provide a deeper understanding of pangolin behaviour. In the future, it could serve as a template for releases of retrieved pangolins into protected areas.

A collaboration between Ceva Wildlife Research Fund (CWRF) and the APWG, both committed to preserving biodiversity with a main objective focus on applied research projects, has resulted in the funding of PhD candidate Jessie Berndt. This PhD research is being conducted under the auspices of the University of Pretoria and supervised by Professor Andrew Mckechnie and Professor Ray Jansen.