David’s thoughts
The collected musings of WildCRU’s Founder and Director, Professor David Macdonald, Professor of Wildlife Conservation, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford.
- David Macdonald explains how the WildCRU’s long-term study of lions and the people living alongside them in Hwange NP, and the team led by Andrew Loveridge, has revealed how predator ecology and animal husbandry combine to explain patterns of livestock losses – January 30th 2017
- David Macdonald is directing research on Clouded leopards living secret lives in the forests of SE Asia, and reports here on a trail-blazing new publication to emerge from this programme – January 6th 2017
- David Macdonald explains how WildCRU researchers have helped develop a new tool to test how rare and cryptic wildlife respond to cues of poaching and other threats to conservation, and how this breakthrough stemmed from bringing together Canadian experts with WildCRU’s Ugandan Panther – January 5th 2017
- David Macdonald addresses questions arising from the new Report on Lion Conservation
December 6th 2016 - Apart from forest loss, poaching is one of major threats to the rare Sumatran tiger and its prey. David Macdonald reports on the remarkable dedication, and bravery, of practical men working to protect tigers in the tropical forest of West-Central Sumatra – November 17th 2016
- David Macdonald welcomes a new partnership for WildCRU and congratulates TripAdvisor on their sector-leading commitment to wild animal welfare and conservation – October 12th 2016
- Cameroon Stories – David Macdonald reports on a remarkable story of teamwork, and illustrates how modern conservation work goes far beyond biology – May 24th 2016
- Cecil and the Trans Kalahari Predator Project – May 13th 2016
- Can the Cecil Moment become the Cecil Movement? – May 2nd 2016
- Cecil is the most influential individual animal in the world (wild or domestic) says TIME magazine – April 25th 2016
- Can the Cecil Moment become the Cecil Movement? – April 25th 2016
- Wonderful photos from WildCRU’s Hwange Lion Project on display at New York’s prestigious Anastasia Gallery: take a look on-line, writes David Macdonald – April 13th 2016
- David Macdonald explains the thinking behind a new WildCRU paper on camera-trapping – April 11th 2016
- Counting marbles: David Macdonald explains how WildCRU’s Bornean team, led by Andrew Hearn has calculated the first estimates of population density for the elusive marbled cat – April 8th 2016
- David Macdonald reports on a WildCRU and CNRS collaboration on spotted hyaenas – February 23rd 2016
- David Macdonald explains that Cecil’s death was part of a much wider story – February 23rd 2016
- Three WildCRU Panthers excel, and help save leopards and tigers – February 22nd 2016
- WildCRU’s Hans Bauer delivers another success for lion conservation, writes David Macdonald – February 4th 2016
- Cheering news from Cecil’s pride – David Macdonald reports that Jericho has cubs – January 18th 2016
- Rescuing Mbuzini (for those not speaking N’dbele: Goat): David Macdonald reports on the interface between conservation and animal welfare and the activities of Lovemore Sibanda in the village communities around Hwange – December 9th 2016
- Carnivore hunting policy does not always align with science: a new paper published in the journal Science concludes that policies regulating the hunting of large carnivores do not always align with basic scientific data – January 5th 2016
- How wild is wilderness? David Macdonald reports on a new WildCRU paper that reflects on prey without predators (and the tangled influences of predation and the weather) – December 16th 2016
- Are Cecil’s grand offspring on the way? David Macdonald reports that a 4 and a half year old male lion, nicknamed Xanda, which the WildCRU team has monitored since his cubhood is almost certainly one of Cecil’s sons – December 8th 2016
- A star attraction: David Macdonald describes the illegal trade in India’s star tortoise – December 1st 2015
- All that glisters is not gold, and David Macdonald explains that only a fraction of the cats living wild in Scotland are Scottish wildcats – November 9th 2015
- David Macdonald explains how WildCRU research is revealing the rich social lives of carnivores – November 11th 2015
- Great News from Cecil’s pride – November 9th 2015
- David Macdonald writes from Zimbabwe, where Andy Loveridge and he are planning the next phase of fieldwork on WildCRU’s lion project – October 27th 2015
- Lions in trouble: a collaboration between WildCRU and some of the world’s leading authorities on lions suggests half of lion populations have been lost from key regions of Africa – October 27th 2015
- Clouded in Mystery: David Macdonald explains how trade is a potential threat for Clouded leopard survival – October 27th 2015
- David Macdonald explains why the customer isn’t always right when it comes to wildlife tourism – October 21st 2015
- David Macdonald introduces new WildCRU collaborator, Arthur Muneza, and the unhealthy story of Giraffe Skin Disease – October 20th 2015
- David Macdonald reports how a leopard, at least in some places, unexpectedly changes its spots – October 19th 2015
- As dull as ditch-water you might think, but David Macdonald explains how the WildCRU team, led by Drs Ros Shaw and Ruth Feber, discovered that ditch-water is not dull at all – October 19th 2015
- The Cecil Beanie: David Macdonald explains how this gorgeous plush toy is helping conservation – October 16th 2015
- David Macdonald reports on how British mammals are under the weather – October 1st 2015
- David Macdonald reports that Cecil’s cubs are fat and well, gorging on a zebra kill – September 29th 2015
- David Macdonald up-dates followers of Cecil’s lion community who are asking us for news of his cubs and pride – October 24th 2015
- Extinct tigers offer an opportunity to learn from history: David Macdonald introduces WildCRU’s new “lessons in memoriam” article on human-tiger conflict and the demise of Singapore’s tigers – September 21st 2015
- While a rose by any other name might smell as sweet, David Macdonald explains that it seems that from the perspective of the Chinese pharmacopoeia any big cat will do when it comes to the belief in the remedial effects of their bones – September 10th 2015
- Possession is nine-tenths of the law: David Macdonald explains how the work he and WildCRU’s Dr Chris Newman have been leading with Chinese colleagues sheds light on illegal wildlife trade – September 8th 2015
- Incy Wincy Spider reveals the conservation impacts of organic farming – David Macdonald reports on WildCRU’s latest paper on the consequences for nature of organic farming – September 7th 2015
- David Macdonald explains how WildCRU’s Ruaha Carnivore Project informs general thinking on how to resolve predation on livestock – September 3rd 2015
- Why zebras (and thus elephants) matter to lions: David Macdonald tells how the WildCRU’s lion landscapes work in the KAZA TFCA maps onto the biology of elephants and zebras – August 30th 2015
- Tour guide killed by a lion – August 26th 2015
- Where art and science merge – David Macdonald tells the remarkable story of art stimulated by reverence for Nature in the aftermath of Cecil’s illegal shooting – August 21st 2015
- David Macdonald and Andrew Loveridge explain their landscape for lions work surrounding Hwange National Park – Nature and natural processes are all joined up – August 21st 2015
- Cecil’s cubs – August 18th 2015
- Today’s children – tomorrow’s decision-makers – August 16th 2015
- Seeing is believing – August 14th 2015
- Getting to grips with the principles – August 14th 2015
- Supporting serious causes doesn’t stop you having fun! Newsflash from David Macdonald – August 11th 2015
- When it comes to gratitude, we have long memories at WildCRU, says David Macdonald – August 11th 2015
- World Lion Day – a message from David Macdonald – August 10th 2015
- Cecil’s cubs – David Macdonald corrects more inaccurate reporting – August 9th 2015
- Practical Successes of WildCRU – August 7th 2015
- WildCRU making a difference – August 6th 2015
- Cara Delevingne auctions watch in aid of Wildcru conservation efforts – August 6th 2015
- Followers of the Cecil Appeal – August 5th 2015
- The Empire State Building and a reflection from David Macdonald – August 4th 2015
- A message from David Macdonald to Cecil’s supporters – now for some biology: Andy Loveridge and I repeat our thanks to all those who have donated to the appeal – August 3rd 2015
- Cecil – the wider significance, an interview by David Macdonald that puts Cecil’s death in context and discusses the future of conservation worldwide – August 2nd 2015
- Newsflash from David Macdonald, WildCRU’s Director: JERICHO IS ALIVE AND WELL – August 2nd 2015
- News up-date on the Cecil Appeal from David Macdonald – August 1st 2015
- News flash from David Macdonald, Director of Oxford’s WildCRU – July 31st 2015
- A message from David Macdonald to all supporters of the Cecil Appeal – July 30th 2015
- David Macdonald thanks Cecil’s supporters around the world – July 29th 2015
