Big cats have always fascinated me. As a young child, I was captivated by Born Free lioness ‘Elsa’ and her extraordinary relationship with humans. This went on to inspire my academic studies and career path. I have been working on wild cats in Africa since 2002, and they have been the focus of my academic studies since 2014. My current research interests are in the behavioural ecology and conservation of wild cats, with a particular focus on the African leopard. I am keen to understand the underlying processes driving co-occurrence among apex predators within protected areas. In particular, how resilient leopards are to the effects of intra-guild competition. For my Master’s research project, I used camera trapping to assess the influence of habitat, prey, and sympatric predators on the occurrence of leopards in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. I have also explored the use of Citizen Science as a tool to monitor leopard populations. My PhD research is investigating the availability of preferred leopard prey and habitat in the Meru Conservation Area, Kenya. I am also identifying hotspots of human-leopard conflict in the buffer zones and considering the potential for conflict resolution.