Khushboo

PhD Student

Contact Information

Department of Biology
Concordia University (Loyola Campus)
7141 Sherbrooke St. W. H4B 1R6
Montreal, QC, Canada

Office: SP 301.06
Lab: SP434
(514) 848-2424 (ext. 4021)

khushboo.khushboo@mail.concordia.ca 

 

Education

2025 – Present: PhD student in Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

2018-2020: MSc in Zoology, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India

2015-2018: BSc in Zoology, Akal University, India

 

My Project

The Ecology of Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in the Rangelands of Northern Kenya

 

Background

Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are highly specialized, wide-ranging predators whose survival increasingly depends on landscapes outside fully protected areas. In Kenya’s rangelands and conservancies, these fast-moving carnivores face pressures from habitat fragmentation, declining prey, and human activity. Although previous studies have explored cheetah ecology in national parks, far less is known about how prey availability and habitat features shape their space use and feeding patterns in privately managed or community lands. In particular, information on fine-scale prey distribution, seasonal changes in prey density, and how cheetahs select or avoid different prey species remains limited. Data on individual cheetahs—their identification, movements, and morphological variation—are also scarce in sites outside of national parks, such as Loisaba and Mugie conservancies. This project addresses these knowledge gaps by quantifying prey density and distribution, examining prey preference in relation to habitat structure, identifying individual cheetahs morphologically, and modelling their habitat occupancy. The findings will guide prey-base management, habitat planning, and long-term conservation strategies for cheetahs in northern Kenya’s mosaic of conservancies and rangelands.

 

Field Work

The study will take place at the Loisaba and Mugie Conservancies in Northern Kenya, Africa, and will be conducted on the resident cheetah population in these rangelands during the different seasons.

 

Objectives

This study aims to investigate on some aspect of the ecology of cheetah in the region, by assessing:

  1. Influence of prey abundance and habitat on cheetah prey preference
  2. Morphological identification of the cheetah residing in Loisaba and Mugie conservancies
  3. Habitat occupancy (or habitat selection) by of the cheetah

 

Publications

  1. Khushboo et. al., 2024. Can education and outreach help foster human-sloth bear coexistence? Carnivore Damage Prevention News (CDP News) Issue 27.