Blue Wildebeest

The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is an important keystone species of the Liuwa Plains in Zambia, Africa, yet little is known about historical and current blue wildebeest dynamics and migration. This severely limits the ability of conservation organizations and governmental wildlife managers to support wildebeest migration, population growth, and recovery. With collaborators at The Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), Kate Teeter (NMU Biology), Jeff Horn (NMU-Computer Science), and Mike Sorenson (Boston University), we are using RAD-tag markers to better understand wildebeest movement and population dynamics.