VOLUME 86

Sleeping with Leopards (10-minute Video)

Patrol Reports

06 Oct 2026 — 1 min read

In the remote African bush of Botswana, subsistence farmer Dominic Chiromino faces a daily high-stakes challenge: protecting his livestock from hungry leopards, caracals, and hyenas.

Relying on government compensation doesn't really cut it, since the payouts are often too low or don't cover certain attacks at all. This means taking a massive financial hit for his family.

To fix this without resorting to hunting or poisoning wildlife, researchers stepped in with a clever, non-lethal experiment: special scent collars. These collars use a clever design to slowly release a scent that mimics predator urine.

When roaming leopards catch a whiff, they assume another rival predator is already staking out the territory and decide to steer clear.

Since trying out the collars, Dominic's livestock losses have dropped dramatically. Researchers are currently using farms like his to gather solid data, with the ultimate goal of making these cheap, life-saving collars widely available to farmers everywhere, helping protect livestock while keeping predators safe in the wild.

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The Controversy of Introducing African Cheetahs to India

When Wildlife Became Worth Protecting

Africa’s Hidden Wilderness (Full documentary: 52 minutes)

How Did African Conservation Become Everyone's Business?