The Chacma Baboon Project is finally becoming a reality, thanks to the support of the William J. Fulbright Scholar Award. After months of preparation, the project officially launches in January—and we’re excited to bring you along from the very beginning.
Our first step will be gathering information from the people who know baboons best. We’ll be surveying community members with firsthand experience, collecting baboon photos from known locations, inviting the public to guess the number of baboons in the Vhembe Biosphere, and launching our first pilot study.
The Pilot Study: Leshiba Wilderness
Our pilot work begins at Leshiba Wilderness, a stunning 2,500-hectare reserve tucked into the Soutpansberg mountains. At least five chacma baboon troops call this landscape home. Using a mix of complementary methods, we’ll estimate their population size and compare those estimates to an actual count. This will allow us to refine our approach before taking it to a broader scale.
These pilot data will help guide a much larger survey across the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (VBR)—one of South Africa’s largest biosphere reserves, covering more than 30,700 km². The VBR stretches from the Shingwedzi River in Kruger National Park north to Crooks Corner, follows the Limpopo River across to Mapungubwe National Park and the Mogalakwena River, and extends south to the Blouberg–Makgabeng and Soutpansberg mountain ranges.
Listening, Learning, and Coexisting
As we travel through the VBR, we’ll be speaking with community members about their experiences with baboons—the positive stories, the challenges, and the strategies people have already tried to reduce conflict. These conversations will help shape new approaches to coexistence that are grounded in local knowledge and practical realities.
Stay Connected
We’ll share project updates about once a month to keep everyone informed about our progress, discoveries, and next steps. Your thoughts, questions, assistance, and encouragement are always welcome.
It’s an ambitious project, but we’re energized, committed, and ready to get to work!
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