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Dr Matt Becker is the Programme Manager and CEO of the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), a non-profit charitable trust which carries out research and conservation work in several Zambian national parks. As a wildlife ecology graduate Matt conducted a detailed study of the grey wolves of Yellowstone National Park. In 2008 he moved from the US to Zambia to lead African Wild Dog Conservation (AWDC), which later became ZCP. Under his direction the programme broadened its scope from wild dogs to cover all of Zambia’s large carnivore species in a number of its major ecosystems. Emma Gregg chatted to Matt in his field lab, tucked away in a quiet corner of South Luangwa National Park.
Q First, I just have to ask – what’s that rustling in the corner?
It’s a very young grysbok that was dropped off by a concerned fisherman this morning. A predator has knocked it about, but it’s not in too bad a state. To be honest, we don’t believe in rescuing animals from predators, but as it was brought in we’re going to let it recover a bit back before we return it to the wild.
Q I imagine running a bush research station like this is a round-the-clock job?
It certainly is, and since we shifted our attention to all large carnivores rather than just wild dogs, our workload has increased hugely. Fortunately, we’re not alone – we work in collaboration with ZAWA (Zambia Wildlife Authority), WWF and African Parks, with input and assistance from universities, zoos and other organisations with complementary skills and resources, plus well-known local safari companies such as The Bushcamp Company and Robin Pope Safaris.
Q Zambia’s reputation among serious wildlife enthusiasts is growing all the time. What’s the secret?
Even by African standards its wildlife areas are amazing. When you fly in you get an immediate sense of how vast the wilderness is. Its remoteness has worked in its favour – there’s little to restrict wildlife movements. As a result, Zambia is one of the few countries with large, viable populations of wild dogs, lions and leopards – the kind of animals that people really want to see.
Q What prompted the switch of focus from wild dogs to carnivores in general?
Wild dogs don’t exist in a vacuum. When you’re studying them it pays to know all about their main competitors, that is, lions and hyenas. The problems that wild dogs and other carnivores face are similar and are very closely linked.
Q What is it about carnivores that merits a dedicated research programme?
A good population of carnivores indicates a relatively intact ecosystem. They’re also very popular, which makes them economically important. But so far the information we have on Zambian carnivores is thoroughly incomplete in relation to guide management and conservation efforts. Before the programme got underway we didn’t even know how many animals there were, let alone the key steps we should take to conserve them. ZAWA is keen to address this information gap through structured research. We have been working together to draw up a conservation action plan for the whole country.
Q What are the main challenges in putting together such a plan?
There are a lot of controversies relating to wildlife in Zambia, as everywhere. Conflict exists between predators and livestock-keepers, and snaring is a problem in many areas. Most Zambians have passionate and strong opinions on wildlife, but the role of science is to try to mitigate opinions and subjective values to find solutions through objective facts and hard data. Our aim is to provide accurate information. With that, it’s possible to make informed responses to any controversy.
Q Is it true that visitors can contribute their own field notes to ZCP?
Yes, it is. Zambia’s first and only guide-run carnivore monitoring programme is run through a number of guides from several of the lodges in the Luangwa. South Luangwa is Zambia’s busiest wildlife-watching area, with good reason. Safari vehicles go out daily, and a lot of tourists have pretty fancy cameras, so it makes sense for us to use their observations. You can record your carnivore sightings on a datasheet – your guide checks everything for accuracy – and we urge you to email us your photos too. Then once we’ve entered the data into our system, we write back with some details about the individuals you saw given that they are easy to individually identify. Sightings thus provide very important data for us on these species, so it’s a huge help.
Q To you, what makes seeing wild dogs on safari so special?
It’s to do with their sociability and their approachability. Knowing how lucky you are to see them, that’s a big part of it. They’re highly charismatic, and highly endangered. You could say they’re the panda of Africa.
For more information on the Zambian Carnivore Programme, visit www.zambiacarnivores.org. With thanks to The Bushcamp Company (www.bushcampcompany.com), Kenya Airways (www.kenya-airways.com), Sky Trails (www.skytrailszambia.com) and Pioneer Camp, Lusaka (www.pioneercampzambia.com).
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