The Kalahari Meerkat Project started in 1993 when researcher Tim Clutton-Brock wanted to study the evolution of co-operative behaviour in mammals. Meerkats were selecetd to be studied due to their social behaviour, duirnal activity (making them easy to track in daylight) and small, non-threatening size. The study site was originally set in the Gemsbok National Park, which covers South Africa and Botswana. But by 2001 a drought had hit the park and most of the meerkat mobs died out. The project was then moved to the Kuruman River Reserve in South Africa, between the borders of Botswana and Namibia.