Canine Distemper Virus Management in Lions (Panthera leo) on Welgevonden Game Reserve

Davidson-Phillips, Samuel; Davidson-Phillips, Phillipa; Canning, Gregory; Schroder, Bradley; Swart, Jonathan; Burger, André

doi:10.3957/056.049.0155

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Thereafter management interventions can be designed to mimic natural processes such as male tenure length over prides, dispersal and mortality by translocating selected lions into and out of LNNP. However, as advised by Miller et al (2013), translocated lions should be vaccinated against key diseases such as canine distemper to avoid a population crash as experienced recently in Welgevonden Game Reserve, South Africa (Davidson-Phillips et al, 2019). Translocation of dispersal-aged lions away from LNNP may even have the added benefit of reducing human-lion conflict in the area, since this demographic is most prone to conflict (Elliot, Cushman, Macdonald, & Loveridge, 2014), potentially even more so in small ecosystems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of reliable monitoring methods for the management of small, isolated populations

Elliot

Bett

Chege

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

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To effectively manage wildlife populations, it is essential to reliably estimate their abundance. This is particularly the case for small, isolated populations, which are vulnerable to extirpation. Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya is one such small, isolated area where an introduced population of African lions (Panthera leo) is vulnerable to genetic degradation and catastrophic events.A founder population of six individuals was introduced between 1984 and 1992, with no further recorded immigration. We used Bayesian spatiallyexplicit capture-recapture models to estimate lion density and abundance based on unstructured spatial sampling. For individuals over the age of 1 year, posterior mean lion density was estimated to be 6.75 (mode = 5.93, posterior SD = 0.92) individuals/100 km 2 , with a mean abundance of 11.37 (mode = 10, posterior SD = 1.54), and a sex ratio of 1.38♀:1♂. Previous reports provided abundance figures much higher than ours. However, our estimates are the result of the first scientifically robust survey and we discuss why they should be viewed as a baseline rather than being suggestive of population decline, and how the discrepancy highlights the need for regular systematic surveys using a standardized framework. Given the small population size and prolonged genetic isolation, we provide long-term management recommendations to secure this lion population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of reliable monitoring methods for the management of small, isolated populations

Elliot

Bett

Chege

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

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“…LGDs are among the most effective solutions to deter predators and/or reduce the number of attacks by carnivorans (Miller et al 2016, van Eeden et al 2017, Khorozyan & Waltert 2019). However, to be effective in terms of livestock protection and wildlife conservation, the dogs need to be properly trained (Leib et al 2021), and strict sanitary control must be applied (Woodroffe et al 2007) to prevent the LGDs from killing wild animals (Drouilly et al 2020, Landry et al 2020) and the potential transmission of diseases to wild species (Davidson‐Phillips et al 2019, Mourya et al 2019). As for human guarding, shepherds have deterred leopards for a long time (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interference competition driven by co‐occurrence with tigers Panthera tigris may increase livestock predation by leopards Panthera pardus: a first step meta‐analysis

Franchini,

Guerisoli

2023

Mammal Review

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In coexisting carnivorans (Carnivora) relying on the same food resources, the dominant species imposes a cost on the inferior competitor by limiting its foraging ability. Tigers Panthera tigris and leopards Panthera pardus live in sympatry in most Asian countries and, because of their similar trophic niche, ‘interference competition’ may exist between these two predators. In fact, since tigers generally occupy prime habitats, leopards could be forced to roam into peripheral areas that are heavily used by humans to avoid competition, consequently increasing the risk of human‐leopard conflicts. Using information collected from the reviewed scientific literature, the purposes of this work were: 1) to assess if livestock predation by leopards increases in areas of coexistence with tigers, and 2) to characterise leopard attacks on livestock to discern the main factors involved in the human‐leopard conflict. Our findings showed that the leopard's ‘overall’ livestock predation rate (i.e. individuals taken/year) was higher in the absence of tigers than in their presence, and the same was observed for the ‘sheep and goat’ predation rate. These results confirm the leopard's tendency to take livestock and, especially, smaller prey. Conversely, the ‘cattle’ and ‘other’ predation rates were higher in the presence of tigers than in their absence, suggesting the existence of a sort of spatial segregation between predators in certain contexts. Lower levels of predation by leopards were observed on farms in which more prevention measures were used, than in those in which only one measure was implemented. We stress the importance of using proper prevention measures to mitigate human‐leopard conflicts. However, because their implementation may not be easy or economically feasible, the financial support given by carnivoran‐policy makers assumes remarkable importance to minimise the economic impact on local families and, in turn, to foster the coexistence between leopards and humans in shared landscapes.

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“…Populations monitored by the Cheetah Metapopulation Project that did not persist in the long term were extirpated, on average, 8.4 years after reintroduction (Buk et al, 2018). Park management must therefore consider long-term population monitoring to establish persistence, and address factors that may cause extirpation of this small population, which is inherently susceptible to stochastic events such as disease outbreaks (Davidson-Phillips et al, 2019). Also, the death of CF3 in an old wire snare set for bushmeat hunting demonstrates that although Liwonde's law enforcement rangers removed > 27,000 snares in the 2 years prior to this reintroduction, snaring remains a problem.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the success of the first cheetah reintroduction in Malawi

Sievert

Fattebert

Marnewick

et al. 2022

Oryx

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In an effort to restore parts of their historical geographical range, and in recognition of their ability to restore ecosystem functioning and of the financial benefits they can provide through ecotourism, large carnivores have been reintroduced in many protected areas from which they were previously extirpated. Similar to dispersing animals, translocated individuals often undertake long-distance exploratory movements before establishing home ranges. Post-release monitoring of reintroduced carnivores is common, but the mechanisms of population establishment are rarely examined, limiting our understanding of reintroduction success. We monitored survival and post-release movements of seven cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus reintroduced to Liwonde National Park, Malawi, to evaluate early population establishment. Exploratory phases post-release lasted 29–174 days. Duration of pre-release holding periods in the boma had no significant effect on daily distance moved. Males travelled significantly farther and established home ranges later than females. All cheetahs showed release site fidelity and all females birthed their first litter within 4 months of release. Within 2 years of reintroduction, the newly established population consisted of 14 cheetahs, with demographic attributes similar to those recorded in the source populations. Based on individual settlement, survival and reproduction rates, we deemed this reintroduction successful in re-establishing a breeding population of cheetahs in Liwonde. Our findings suggest the drivers of settlement and population establishment for reintroduced cheetahs are complex, highlighting the importance of assessing and reporting post-release monitoring data.

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Canine Distemper Virus Management in Lions (Panthera leo) on Welgevonden Game Reserve

Cited by 5 publications

References 39 publications

The importance of reliable monitoring methods for the management of small, isolated populations

The importance of reliable monitoring methods for the management of small, isolated populations

Interference competition driven by co‐occurrence with tigers Panthera tigris may increase livestock predation by leopards Panthera pardus: a first step meta‐analysis

Assessing the success of the first cheetah reintroduction in Malawi

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