77 research outputs found
The demography and dynamics of an expanding, managed African wild dog metapopulation
Long-term demographic data are central for the evaluation of endangered species recovery
plans. We present the demography and dynamics of a managed African wild dog (Lycaon
pictus) metapopulation in South Africa, based on life histories of 553 individually known
animals collected between 1998 and 2006. This metapopulation, distributed across nine
sites (and not including Kruger National Park), was established through reintroductions
(n = 9 events) and maintained by periodic augmentation (n = 10 events) and translocation
(n = 20 events). In total, 66 founders were used to establish subpopulations and mean
founder group size was 9.6 animals. The metapopulation grew from17 individuals in 1998 to
a peak of 202 in 2005. Mean annual population density was 3.3 (S.E. 0.44) wild dogs/100 km2,
approaching the upper limit of densities reported from unmanaged populations. Mean size
of breeding packs was 11.0 (S.E. 0.76), comparable to pack sizes in Kruger National Park
(Kruger), the only viable unmanaged population in South Africa. Fecundity was lower than in
Kruger – particularly in the older age classes. Pup survival to adulthood was 45% – nearly
three times the survival rate for pups in Kruger.Mean annual population growth rate (Ă« = 1.08,
S.E. 0.13) was higher than in unmanaged populations (range 1.000–1.038), with implications
for population viability and management.H.D.M. was supported
through grants to D.W.M. from Fauna & Flora International
and Siren. Fieldwork was supported by
the Endangered Wildlife Trust, De Beers Consolidated
Mines and Jaguar Land Rover South Africa.http://www.sawma.co.zaam201
Behavioural adjustments of a large carnivore to access secondary prey in a human-dominated landscape
1. Conflict between people and large carnivores is an urgent conservation issue world-wide. Understanding
the underlying ecological drivers of livestock depredation by large carnivores is greatly
needed.
2. We studied the spatial, foraging and behavioural ecology of African lions Panthera leo in the
Botswana Makgadikgadi ecosystem. This ecosystem comprises a protected area, characterized by
high seasonal fluctuation in wild prey abundance, and adjacent lands, which are used for livestock
grazing and characterized by stable livestock abundance, but also a risk of anthropogenic mortality.
3. Makgadikgadi lions preferentially preyed upon migratory wild herbivores when they were present;
however, data from GPS (Global Positioning System) radiocollared lions revealed that the
majority of the study lions did not follow the migratory herds but remained resident at one or other
border of the park and switched to livestock (abundant and readily available), and to a lesser extent
resident wild herbivores (relatively scarce), in periods of migratory wild herbivore scarcity.
4. Resident lions’ use of space differed between periods of wild prey abundance and scarcity. These
changes were likely to increase the frequency of encounter with their primary prey in periods of primary
prey abundance and with livestock in periods of primary prey scarcity.
5. The risk of conflict with humans was a major driver of lion ecology in the human-dominated
landscape surrounding the protected area. Resident lions generally avoided the close vicinity of cattle-
posts.When they used such areas, they avoided temporal overlap with periods that humans were
most active and travelled at high speed reducing the time spent in these areas.
6. Synthesis and applications. This study suggests that lions balance the benefits of accessing livestock
with the costs associated with livestock raiding. Hence, reduction in livestock availability
through effective livestock husbandry in periods of wild prey scarcity should lead to reduced
conflict.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2664ab201
Social systems and behaviour of the African wild dog Lycaon pictus and the spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta with special reference to rabies
Differences in the social systems and behaviour of two potentially important hosts of rabies, the African
wild dog and the spotted hyaena, may lead to differences in the epizootiology of the disease in the two
species. Wild dogs are highly social animals in which pack members are in constant physical contact
with each other, but in which inter-pack interactions are rare. Spotted hyaenas are more flexible in their
social systems and behaviour. Clan members interact less frequently than do wild dogs, but inter-clan
contact rates may be high in high density populations. Rabies transmission within wild dog packs should
be rapid, but rare between packs. In spotted hyaenas rabies transmission between clan members may
partially depend on the social status of the animals involved and between packs on the density of hyaenas
in the area.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi.
Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.National Parks Board. Endangered Wildlife Trust. Stuart Bromfield Wild Dog
Fund.mn201
Prey selection by African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in northern Botswana
Prey selection varies among large carnivores in different ecosystems. Factors influencing prey selection include availability, sex, age, body condition, body size, the prey’s anti-predatory mechanisms such as vigilance and speed, and habitat selection.https://sawma.co.za/african-journal-of-wildlife-researcham2022Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog
Techniques used in the study of African wildcat, <i>Felis silvestris cafra</i>, in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa/Botswana)
The techniques used for the capture, marking and habituation of African wildcats (Felis silvestris cafra) in the Kalahari are described and evaluated in this paper. African wildcats were captured, with either baited cage traps or chemical immobilisation through darting. Darting proved to be a more efficient and less stressful way of capturing cats. Very high frequency (VHF) radio collars fitted with activity monitors were especially effective in the open habitat of the Kalahari for locating and maintaining contact with cats; they also aided in determining if the cats were active or resting in dense vegetation. The habituation of individual cats to a 4Ă—4 vehicle proved to be time consuming, but it provided a unique opportunity to investigate the feeding ecology and spatial organisation of cats through direct visual observations.
Conservation implications: In describing and comparing the various methods of capture, handling and release of the African wildcats that we followed during our study in the southern Kalahari, we recommend the most efficient, least stressful method for researchers to follow – both in relation to time and energy, as well as in terms of the impact on the animals being studied
The feeding habits of the South African wildcat, a facultative trophic specialist, in the southern Kalahari (Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana)
The seasonal feeding habits of the Southern African wildcat Felis silvestris cafra in the riverbed ecotone of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park were investigated over a period of 46 months. The diet was analysed through visual observations on eight habituated (three females and five males) radio-collared wildcats, supplemented with scat analysis. Murids formed the bulk of the biomass in the diet (73%), followed by birds (10%) and large mammals (>500 g) (9%). Although reptiles (6%) and invertebrates (2%) were frequently caught, they contributed less to the overall biomass of the diet. There were significant seasonal differences in the consumption of five food categories that related to changes in availability. Fluctuations in prey abundances could be the result of seasonal rainfall and temperature fluctuations or long-term variability in rainfall resulting in wet and dry cycles. As predicted, the lean season (hot-dry) was characterized by a high food-niche breadth and a high species richness. Despite sexual dimorphism in size in the Southern African wildcat, both sexes predominantly fed on smaller rodents, although there were differences in the diet composition, with males taking more large mammals and females favouring birds and reptiles. These results indicate that Southern African wildcats are adaptable predators that prefer to hunt small rodents, but can change their diet according to seasonal and longer-term prey abundances and availability.This research was supported by the Endangered Wildlife Trust's Carnivore Conservation Group (South Africa), the Elizabeth Wakemen Henderson Charitable Foundation, the Mammal Research Institute and the Molecular Ecology and Evolution Program (Department of Genetics) at the University of Pretoria, the National Research Foundation (South Africa), the Kaplan Awards Program from Wildlife Conservation Society and the Skukuza Marathon Club
Techniques used in the study of African wildcat, Felis silvestris cafra, in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa / Botswana)
The techniques used for the capture, marking and habituation of African wildcats (Felis silvestris
cafra) in the Kalahari are described and evaluated in this paper. African wildcats were captured,
with either baited cage traps or chemical immobilisation through darting. Darting proved to be
a more efficient and less stressful way of capturing cats. Very high frequency (VHF) radio collars
fitted with activity monitors were especially effective in the open habitat of the Kalahari for locating
and maintaining contact with cats; they also aided in determining if the cats were active or resting in
dense vegetation. The habituation of individual cats to a 4Ă—4 vehicle proved to be time consuming,
but it provided a unique opportunity to investigate the feeding ecology and spatial organisation of
cats through direct visual observations.
Conservation implications: In describing and comparing the various methods of capture, handling
and release of the African wildcats that we followed during our study in the southern Kalahari, we
recommend the most efficient, least stressful method for researchers to follow – both in relation to
time and energy, as well as in terms of the impact on the animals being studied
Shifting prey selection generates contrasting herbivore dynamics within a large-mammal predator-prey web
Shifting prey selection has been identified as a mechanism potentially regulating
predator–prey interactions, but it may also lead to different outcomes, especially in more
complex systems with multiple prey species available. We assessed changing prey selection by
lions, the major predator for 12 large herbivore species in South Africa’s Kruger National
Park. The database was provided by records of found carcasses ascribed to kills by lions
assembled over 70 years, coupled with counts of changing prey abundance extending over 30
years. Wildebeest and zebra constituted the most favored prey species during the early portion
of the study period, while selection for buffalo rose in the south of the park after a severe
drought increased their vulnerability. Rainfall had a negative influence on the proportional
representation of buffalo in lion kills, but wildebeest and zebra appeared less susceptible to
being killed under conditions of low rainfall. Selection by lions for alternative prey species,
including giraffe, kudu, waterbuck, and warthog, was influenced by the changing relative
abundance and vulnerability of the three principal prey species. Simultaneous declines in the
abundance of rarer antelope species were associated with a sharp increase in selection for these
species at a time when all three principal prey species were less available. Hence shifting prey
selection by lions affected the dynamics of herbivore populations in different ways: promoting
contrasting responses by principal prey species to rainfall variation, while apparently being the
main cause of sharp declines by alternative prey species under certain conditions. Accordingly,
adaptive responses by predators, to both the changing relative abundance of the principal prey
species, and other conditions affecting the relative vulnerability of various species, should be
taken into account to understand the interactive dynamics of multispecies predator–prey webs
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