DIET AND SPACE USE OF THE MARTIAL EAGLE (\u3cem\u3ePOLEMAETUS BELLICOSUS\u3c/em\u3e) IN THE MAASAI MARA REGION OF KENYA

The martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a vulnerable species that is declining throughout large portions of its range. There is an urgent need to improve understanding of this species’ ecology to inform its conservation. I equipped 20 adult martial eagles with global positioning system backpack transmitters to characterize diet and space use of the species in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya. The resulting high-resolution transmitter data sets allowed for the rapid location of kills and provided a means to estimate home range size. From November 2016 to April 2018, 191 kills were identified from 206 kill location visits. Martial eagle diet comprised 26 prey species of which hares (two Lepus species, 17.3%), impala fawns (Aepyceros melampus, 13.6%) and helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris, 12%) were the most numerous. Sex-based differences in diet were found, with females selecting for heavier prey items (p \u3c 0.001). The average 95% kernel density estimated home range for the duration-of-transmitter-placement (average of 372 days) was 174.5 ± 83.2 km2, a much larger estimate than previously reported. This study is the most extensive to date on martial eagle diet and spatial ecology in eastern Africa, and the first to show dietary differences between the sexes

Population Dynamics of the African Lion (Panthera leo L.) within the Maasai Mara Region of Southern Kenya

The newly formed Naboisho Wildlife Conservancy in southern Kenya is a 20,000 hectare ranch that is collectively owned by 500 Maasai tribesman. As a result of this recent, locally-inspired conservancy, numerous tourism investors and non-profit organizations have been invited to develop businesses and research opportunities in order to facilitate the conservancy’s growth and stability. Monitoring and protecting big cat populations that thrive in this landscape is a cornerstone of developing conservancies like Naboisho and is the backbone of the tourism industry in Southern Kenya. In 2010, a research project was established by the Mara Naboisho Lion Project and African Impact to census, identify, and continuously monitor lions within this conservancy. As of September 2012, 59 lions from six different prides have been identified and profiled within Naboisho. This minimum population estimate was achieved through visual observation, ground tracking, and, most recently, with 12 camera traps strategically located to identify remote and elusive lion prides. Individuals were identified by unique whisker spot patterns which, once mapped, were uploaded into a database to ensure no lions were counted twice. GPS coordinates were recorded whenever a sighting was made in order to determine home range sizes for both prides and individuals. Initial results after two years of study have indicated that lion density in the conservancy may constitute one of the highest in the world, placing Naboisho in the center of numerous global conservation initiatives

Tracking data highlight the importance of human-induced mortality for large migratory birds at a flyway scale

Human-induced direct mortality affects huge numbers of birds each year, threatening hundreds of species worldwide. Tracking technologies can be an important tool to investigate temporal and spatial patterns of bird mortality as well as their drivers. We compiled 1704 mortality records from tracking studies across the African-Eurasian flyway for 45 species, including raptors, storks, and cranes, covering the period from 2003 to 2021. Our results show a higher frequency of human-induced causes of mortality than natural causes across taxonomic groups, geographical areas, and age classes. Moreover, we found that the frequency of human-induced mortality remained stable over the study period. From the human-induced mortality events with a known cause (n = 637), three main causes were identified: electrocution (40.5 %), illegal killing (21.7 %), and poisoning (16.3 %). Additionally, combined energy infrastructure-related mortality (i.e., electrocution, power line collision, and wind-farm collision) represented 49 % of all human-induced mortality events. Using a random forest model, the main predictors of human-induced mortality were found to be taxonomic group, geographic location (latitude and longitude), and human footprint index value at the location of mortality. Despite conservation efforts, human drivers of bird mortality in the African-Eurasian flyway do not appear to have declined over the last 15 years for the studied group of species. Results suggest that stronger conservation actions to address these threats across the flyway can reduce their impacts on species. In particular, projected future development of energy infrastructure is a representative example where application of planning, operation, and mitigation measures can enhance bird conservation.publishedVersio