Immerse yourselves in the sights, sounds and culture of
southern Africa while discovering how the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
is helping people and wild animals coexist there.
The 12th annual University Evening, “Please Save
Me from the Lion’s Mouth: Our Efforts to Promote Human-Wildlife Coexistence in
Southern Africa,” will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the Alumni Room
of the Dreyfus University Center. The event will be led by Scott Hygnstrom, the
Douglas R. Stephens Endowed Chair in Wildlife and director of the Wisconsin
Center for Wildlife. The presentation is free and open to the public, with a
reception to follow.
University
Evening invites the community to learn more about the creativity and
scholarship of distinguished UW-Stevens Point faculty. This year’s presentation
will include a photo essay of African wildlife, a summary of a UW-Stevens Point
program to help resolve human-wildlife conflicts in southern Africa and sound
recordings, crafts, artifacts and taxidermy specimens from the area.
This past
summer, two UW-Stevens Point student interns were in Botswana to study lion
behavior, predator numbers and prey abundance, said Hygnstrom, and a project
assistant is currently there to continue the work.
“Our
research goal is to better understand the dynamics between predators, prey,
livestock and people,” he said. “We study these systems so that we can better
avoid conflicts and enjoy the positive aspects of coexistence, such as
aesthetic beauty, eco-tourism and the role that lions play in the ecosystem.”
Hygnstrom
holds degrees from UW-Madison, UW-Stevens Point and UW-River Falls. He
previously was a wildlife specialist and professor of wildlife ecology at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
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