Christiaan and Hanlie Winterbach started Tau Consultants (Pty) Ltd in 1997 when they moved to Botswana to set up a long term ecological monitoring project in the Okavango Delta. Their work has a strong focus on lions living in the highly sensitive ecosystem of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana. They have fourteen years of baseline data on this unique lion population and their social dynamics. They collaborated with NCI researchers investigating Feline Immunodeficiency Virus in lions.

In 2000 the Winterbachs became founder members of the African Lion Working Group (affiliate of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group and the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission), and have been members of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group since 2002. They have collaborated with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks doing lion surveys in northern Botswana to assess population numbers.

Christiaan and Hanlie were contracted in 2003 to write the first multi-species large carnivore management strategy for Botswana and are currently reviewing it.

They started collaboration with African Horseback Safaris to extend the area they are monitoring in the western part of the Okavango Delta. This provides them with the opportunity to assess population size and long term trends of the large carnivores in the area. In return it also contributes to the long term conservation and management strategy of the Macatoo concession area.

All the findings and data are summarised in a survey report and compiled in an annual report. These reports are submitted to the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks board thereby also contributing to the conservation of the Okavango Delta as a whole.

QUALIFICATIONS

1991: Master of Science (Wildlife Management). University of Pretoria, South Africa. Thesis: Influence of pesticides on numbers of helmeted guineafowl, Numida meleagris, in agricultural areas.
1984: Bachelor of Science Honours (Wildlife Management). University of Pretoria, South Africa.
1983: Bachelor of Science, Main subjects: Zoology and Botany. University of Pretoria, South Africa.

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS

2004: Wildlife documentary "Swamp Cats" for BBC.
2003: Wildlife documentary "Roar, Lions of the Kalahari" an IMAX film for National Geographic.
2002: Wildlife documentary "Swimming Lions" for Animal Planet

MEMBERSHIP OF ASSOCIATIONS

2004- currently: Member of South African Wildlife Management Association.
2002- currently: Member of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group.
2001- currently: Kalahari Conservation Society.
1999- currently: Founder members of the African Lion Working Group (IUCN/CSS)

Tau Consultants (Pty) Ltd
Private Bag 83
Maun
Botswana
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