What did AfriCat achieve in 2024?

Expansion of the LoRa Tracking Network

In 2024 we completed installation of a LoRa (Long Range) network across the Okonjima Nature Reserve for tracking animals, assets and personnel. This allowed us to transition entirely from UHF (Ultra High Frequency) to LoRa for wildlife monitoring. UHF is a short-range radio system that requires close proximity to track animals, which limits coverage in large, rugged landscapes. LoRa is a low-power, long-range communication technology that allows us to collect location data from wildlife over much greater distances while using very little battery power. Three gateways now provide strong coverage across most of the Reserve, and additional gateways will be added to remove the remaining blind spots and extend coverage to neighbouring farms.

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Growth of the Camera Trap Programme

We expanded our camera trap programme to almost 200 units deployed across seven systems. These include leopard bait trees, box traps, pangolin burrows, brown hyena dens, fencelines and corridors for general wildlife monitoring. Temporary cameras are added as needed. All cameras are serviced monthly, except the pangolin burrow system which requires more frequent checks. We are exploring a dedicated system for monitoring carcasses and large kills and may expand selected systems onto neighbouring properties. All images continue to be processed through TrapTagger, which is working well for us.

Improvements to Identification and Classification Systems

We upgraded our individual identification system. It now includes a transitional stage used while building a sufficient image library for confident identification. We also formalised categories for internal and external leopards and for residents, potential residents and transients. Criteria for identifying juvenile, subadult and adult pangolin were also developed.

Organisation of Historic Cheetah and Leopard Samples

We completed the sorting and reorganisation of AfriCat’s extensive cheetah and leopard sample collections from many years of Rescue and Release work. All leopard samples have been re-packaged and re-labelled. Cheetah samples are next, and associated metadata from historic paper records is being digitised and matched to the sample inventory. The final batch of DNA samples from resident leopards has been submitted for analysis, with results expected in 2025.

Strengthened Security Following Rhino Poaching Incident

A watershed moment in 2024 resulted from the poaching of one of our rhinos and the shooting of a second. This event prompted the implementation of a new, significantly strengthened security system to improve protection for both wildlife and Okonjima guests.

Key Insights from Pangolin Research

Pangolin research presented new insights. Due to the 2023/2024 drought, most individuals in the AfriCat Pangolin Research Project failed to regain weight during the 2023 growing season. Although we recorded only two mortalities, far fewer than during the 2019 drought, the data shows how strongly drought conditions affect pangolin. We also documented substantial dispersal movements by juveniles leaving their maternal home ranges, which may be drought related or part of a broader behavioural pattern.

Updates from the Leopard Research Project

Five new leopards were added to the leopard research project in 2024, and the LoRa system is now providing GPS data from more individuals than ever before. We also launched the Farmers Carnivore Conservation Project, working with neighbouring landowners to reduce conflict and support leopard conservation.

Progress in the Brown Hyena Research Project

The brown hyena research project, restarted in 2023 with the collaring of five individuals, expanded further in 2024. Four new hyenas were collared, along with two individuals first collared during the 2019 phase of the project. We have begun identifying collared hyenas in camera trap images and have installed cameras at five brown hyena burrows.

Changes Within the AfriCat Team

We had some staff changes. Nzwane moved from AfriCat to become a guide at Okonjima, so we are pleased to see him daily. Anina Oberholzer joined us part time to support data collection, social media and administration, and we hope she will join full time in 2025. Charlize Tredoux enters her final year of veterinary training, and we anticipate welcoming her back from 2026; she continues to spend as much time with us as her schedule allows.

Collaborations, Partnerships and Visitor Engagement

We strengthened several collaborations and developed new partnerships in 2024 and look forward to sharing outcomes in 2025. We hosted five “behind the scenes” groups, including a cohort of 20 veterinarians. We thank all Okonjima guests who engaged with our work and those who chose to support us through donations. Our website is currently being updated, and we are planning for 2025. We look forward to a productive year ahead.

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International Day for Biological Diversity 2026: How Local Conservation at Okonjima Nature Reserve Supports Global Biodiversity Goals

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On International Day for Biological Diversity 2026, AfriCat Foundation reflects on how three decades of wildlife research and conservation at Okonjima Nature Reserve in Namibia contribute directly to global biodiversity goals. From leopard and brown hyena population studies to night-based pangolin fieldwork and the pursuit of OECM status, discover how local conservation action in a semi-arid Namibian landscape is helping to shape a more biodiverse world.
Brown Hyena Okonjima Namibia

Brown Hyena Research at Okonjima: Ecology, Behaviour, and Conservation

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The brown hyena is one of Africa's least-studied large carnivores: nocturnal, wide-ranging, and persistently misunderstood. At Okonjima Nature Reserve, long-term research is changing that. Drawing on GPS telemetry, camera traps, and over a decade of field observation, this programme has produced one of the most detailed datasets available for Hyaena brunnea. What it reveals is a species far more ecologically complex, socially structured, and behaviourally flexible than its reputation suggests.
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The Emerging importance of Private Reserves for Wildlife Conservation

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Private nature reserves in Namibia are playing a critical role in protecting leopard, pangolin and brown hyena. At Okonjima Nature Reserve, the AfriCat Foundation combines long-term scientific research, ecological restoration and responsible ecotourism to support wildlife conservation across the region.
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AfriCat Foundation in 2025: Advancing Long-Term Predator and Pangolin Research at Okonjima

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AfriCat Foundation’s 2025 research update at Okonjima Nature Reserve details long-term leopard, pangolin and brown hyena monitoring, tracking technology and collaborations.
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From Rescue to Research: The Evolution of AfriCat

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AfriCat has entered a new era of science-driven conservation. Once focused on carnivore rescue, the Foundation now centres its work on long-term ecological research in the Okonjima Nature Reserve, using evidence-based methods to understand wildlife, restore habitats and strengthen conservation practices.

What did AfriCat achieve in 2024?

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In 2024 AfriCat expanded its LoRa network, grew its camera trap systems, improved identification methods, organised historic samples, strengthened security, advanced pangolin, leopard and brown hyena research, supported staff changes and deepened collaborations, while engaging visitors and planning further conservation work for 2025.