Dr Alison Leslie of the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology has won the prestigious IUCN-Crocodile Specialist Group (CSG) Costello Award for Crocodile Conservation. It recognises her contribution to crocodile research in Africa.

The award was presented to Dr Leslie at the IUCN-CSG's biennial meeting, which was held in the Kruger National Park this year. The meeting was attended by 352 participants from 43 countries.

The CSG is a worldwide network of biologists, wildlife managers, government officials, independent researchers, non-government representatives, farmers, traders, tanners, fashion leaders, and private companies actively involved in the conservation of the world's 23 living species of alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gharial in the wild. 

Leslie donated the monetary part of her award to one of her colleagues studying the highly endangered long-snouted gharial in India. It has being used to set up the Dr Alison Leslie-Subir Chowfin Corpus Fund for Gharial Research and Conservation in northern India.

Dr Lesley and her research team also recently made the acquaintance of Britain's Prince Harry when he assisted them for a few days as part a huge mammal relocation project. Leslie's research team placed satellite collars on the three largest adult lions in the Majete to gather data for a study on the diet and habitat use of the lion pride.

These efforts form part of ongoing efforts by Stellenbosch University conservation ecologists to support the revival of Majete Wildlife Reserve in Malawi.