Gabriella Leighton

Gabriella Leighton’s work exemplifies a commitment to conserving biodiversity in the face of rapid global change. She uses cutting-edge research methods to understand the complex threats facing wildlife. She was awarded the Robert May Prize by the British Ecological Society for her innovative work. In 2021, she was awarded a PHD for her research completed at the University of Cape Town’s Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (icwild). Gabriella’s research on the Cape Peninsula caracal shows how urbanisation exposes wildlife to pressures on their ecology and health. She aims to bridge the gap between urban development and traditional wildlife conservation. As the coordinator for the Urban Caracal Project, her goals include establishing baseline information on the caracals, understanding how urbanisation affects their behaviour and health, and assessing threats to the survival of the population. Her skills range from the field to the lab, data analysis and social outreach. Her study on the ecotoxicology of Cape Town’s caracals is the first such study for an urban carnivore in South Africa and was funded by WWF’S Table Mountain Fund. It highlights that species face a multitude of pressures including car collisions, poaching, pathogens and toxic pollutants. Gabriella believes in science communication through public talks, social media and collaborations with artists. She is a postdoctoral fellow at Rhodes University, where she expand how we study the novel problems faced by wildlife in cities.