Betty Bobb-Kruger

Botswana's pioneering wildlife conservationist who transformed anti-poaching strategies

Betty Bobb-Kruger (born 1948) became Africa's first female game ranger in 1975, creating groundbreaking anti-poaching tactics still used today. Her 1980s work in Chobe National Park involved innovative community engagement programs that reduced elephant poaching by 70%. She developed the first ranger training curriculum focusing on ecological ethics, now adopted across Southern Africa. Kruger's 1993 book 'Tracking Wildlife Conservation' remains a field manual for conservationists. She co-founded the Okavango Research Institute (ORI) in 1998, establishing the first African-led center for wetland ecology studies. Her advocacy led to Botswana's 2014 ivory stockpile burn, a landmark event in global conservation efforts.