Big Cats Return to Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi: Evaluating Reintroduction Success

Briers‐Louw, Willem D.; Verschueren, Stijn; Leslie, Alison J.

doi:10.3957/056.049.0034

Cited by 25 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…However, we encourage further survey efforts to understand the Malawi leopard population status and trends, which has received little conservation attention to date. The Malawi leopard population is thought to be largely restricted to PAs, and reintroduction efforts have already been needed to restore leopard populations in Majete Wildlife Reserve (Briers‐Louw et al ., 2019). As one of only three PAs in Malawi that is over 1,000 km 2 in size, KNP likely represents one of the few areas where a viable leopard population can persist in Malawi at these low densities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hyaena density in KNP is the lowest reported in a woodland habitat to date and is comparable to density estimates from arid environments (0.9 hyaena/100 km 2 , Mills, 1990; 2 hyaena/100 km 2 , Trinkel & Kastberger, 2005) and those recorded in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi (2.62 hyaena/100 km 2 , Briers‐Louw, 2017). However, Majete Wildlife Reserve benefits from higher levels of protection compared with KNP and hyaena prey species have been reintroduced over the past decade (Briers‐Louw et al ., 2019). It is likely that hyaena are found at low densities across Malawi, but whether these low densities are naturally occurring or due to the decline in protected area health over previous decades is difficult to ascertain due to a lack of previous estimates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial partial identity model reveals low densities of leopard and spotted hyaena in a miombo woodland

et al. 2020

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Decline in global carnivore populations has led to increased demand for assessment of carnivore densities in understudied habitats. Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) is used increasingly to estimate species densities, where individuals are often identified from their unique pelage patterns. However, uncertainty in bilateral individual identification can lead to the omission of capture data and reduce the precision of results. The recent development of the two-flank spatial partial identity model (SPIM) offers a cost-effective approach, which can reduce uncertainty in individual identity assignment and provide robust density estimates. We conducted camera trap surveys annually between 2016 and 2018 in Kasungu National Park, Malawi, a primary miombo woodland and a habitat lacking baseline data on carnivore densities. We used SPIM to estimate density for leopard (Panthera pardus) and spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) and compared estimates with conventional SCR methods. Density estimates were low across survey years, when compared to estimates from sub-Saharan Africa, for both leopard (1.9 AE 0.19 SD adults/100 km 2) and spotted hyaena (1.15 AE 0.42 SD adults/100 km 2). Estimates from SPIM improved precision compared with analytical alternatives. Lion (Panthera leo) and wild dog (Lycaon pictus) were absent from the 2016 survey, but lone dispersers were recorded in 2017 and 2018, and both species appear limited to transient individuals from within the wider transfrontier conservation area. Low densities may reflect low carrying capacity in miombo woodlands or be a result of reduced prey availability from intensive poaching. We provide the first leopard density estimates from Malawi and a miombo woodland habitat, whilst demonstrating that SPIM is beneficial for density estimation in surveys where only one camera trap per location is deployed. The low density of large carnivores requires urgent management to reduce the loss of the carnivore guild in Kasungu National Park and across the wider transfrontier landscape.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial partial identity model reveals low densities of leopard and spotted hyaena in a miombo woodland

et al. 2020

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“…Holding animals in an enclosure before release may increase reintroduction success (Fischer & Lindenmayer, ; Devineau et al ., ; Briers‐Louw et al ., ). For carnivores, this allows animals to familiarize themselves with their new environment and to break homing tendencies (Linnell et al ., ; Miller et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Furthermore, the importance of social structure is noted, but no advice is provided regarding the creation of viable social groups for reintroductions (Soorae, , , , ). It is suggested that holding carnivores before reintroduction helps to break their homing tendencies, and allows acclimatization (Linnell et al ., ; Miller et al ., ; Briers‐Louw, Verschueren & Leslie, ). But, for group‐living carnivores, this is also an important time for social integration when artificial social groups are being formed (Gusset, Slotow & Somers, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors affecting the success of artificial pack formation in an endangered, social carnivore: the African wild dog

Marneweck

Becker

Beverley

et al. 2019

Animal Conservation

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Social integration is an important factor when reintroducing group-living species, but examples of the formation of social groups before reintroduction are largely lacking. African wild dogs Lycaon pictus are endangered, and reintroductions have become a routine part of range expansion in South Africa. Wild dogs form packs that are essential to their reproduction and survival, and artificial pack formation is often required before reintroduction. We examined the proximate (i.e. social integration) and ultimate (i.e. reproduction) success of 43 artificial pack formation attempts in the South African managed metapopulation, between 1995 and 2018. The top (and dominant) model for proximate success included an interaction between total group size and an initial separation fence. Larger groups took longer to integrate, irrespective of initial separation, whereas smaller groups brought together immediately integrated faster than those that were initially separated. The top models for ultimate success included an interaction between the proportion of males and number of days spent in the pre-release enclosure, the total number of days in the enclosure and an interaction between the proportion of captive-sourced individuals and the total number of days in the enclosure. Ultimate success increased when packs spent less time in the enclosure, especially if those packs had a low proportion of males (i.e. female biased) or included >25% captive-sourced individuals. Neither the size of the artificially created pack nor the season in which the pack was released affected ultimate success. The success of social integration and reproductive success of artificially formed packs in this study was higher than for natural pack formations. We provide guidelines for optimizing future artificial pack formation in wild dogs for reintroduction success. Our results serve as an example of the practical importance of social behavior in successfully implementing conservation measures for group-living species.

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“…The degree of dietary partitioning found in this study is important in the context of carnivore reintroductions into enclosed reserves. The reintroduction of lion and leopard into MWR was regarded as a success, and both populations have increased since their introduction (Briers‐Louw et al., 2019). Prey populations have also continued to increase since their reintroductions commenced in 2003, and the carnivore populations have not yet had any major impacts on prey species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary partitioning of three large carnivores in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Briers‐Louw

Leslie

2020

Afr J Ecol

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Between 2011 and 2012, the carnivore guild in Majete Wildlife Reserve (MWR), Malawi, was restored following the reintroduction of lion (Panthera leo) and leopard (Panthera pardus). The aim of this study was to describe and compare the diet of lion, leopard and resident spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) using scat analysis. Lions and spotted hyaenas displayed the greatest dietary overlap (Oab = 0.88) and selected mainly medium‐ to large‐bodied prey species. Lions had a mean preferred prey weight of 120.33 ± 42.14 kg (SE), with warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) and waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) making up 60.64% of relative biomass consumed. Spotted hyaenas had a mean preferred prey weight of 102.40 ± 41.69 kg and had a more generalised diet (Ba = 0.46) compared to lions (Ba = 0.36). In contrast, leopards occupied a dietary niche substantially lower than that of lions and spotted hyaenas, selecting relatively smaller prey with a mean preferred prey weight of 27.50 ± 6.74 kg. Our results suggest that coexistence between the resident hyaena and reintroduced lion and leopard in MWR is facilitated by dietary partitioning. We advise long‐term monitoring of reintroduced carnivores in small, enclosed reserves to assess their impacts on predator and prey populations.

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Big Cats Return to Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi: Evaluating Reintroduction Success

Cited by 25 publications

References 45 publications

Spatial partial identity model reveals low densities of leopard and spotted hyaena in a miombo woodland

Spatial partial identity model reveals low densities of leopard and spotted hyaena in a miombo woodland

Factors affecting the success of artificial pack formation in an endangered, social carnivore: the African wild dog

Dietary partitioning of three large carnivores in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

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