Unusually High Predation on Chacma Baboons (Papio ursinus) by Female Leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Waterberg Mountains, South Africa

Abstract

Leopards do not preferentially favour baboons as prey, but they are considered the primary predators of baboons across Africa. Even in areas where baboons are abundant, their contribution to leopard diet seldom exceeds 5% of biomass. It is suggested that the extreme aggressiveness of baboons, group vigilance and their high mobility when escaping may limit leopard predation. Male baboons are particularly aggressive, and retaliation often leads to the death of the leopard. However, evidence suggests that leopards may learn to catch and kill certain dangerous prey. This study reports predation on chacma baboons by 3 female leopards on a private game reserve in the Waterberg Mountains of South Africa. Potential leopard feeding sites were identified using global positioning system (GPS) location clusters obtained from GPS collars. Over a 5-month period, we investigated 200 potential leopard feeding sites and located 96 leopard feeding/kill sites. Baboons constituted 18.7% of the leopards' biomass intake. The majority of baboons preyed upon were adults and 70% of the kills were diurnal. In terms of the measured variables, there were no significant differences in the way the leopards preyed upon baboons, compared to the rest of the prey species.

Animal welfare considerations for using large carnivores and guardian dogs as vertebrate biocontrol tools against other animals

“…3) than 'chase and catch' types of predatory behaviour. However, baboons and caracals are formidable prey with teeth and claws which can be used in defence against leopard attack (Brain, 1981;Jooste et al, 2012). This is likely to increase capture and handling time and thus a time-to-death of > 60 seconds, resulting in a rating closer to 6F (Fig.…”

Foraging and Habitat Specialization by Female Leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Waterberg Mountains of South Africa

“…Although mixed closed woodland contains the least number of prey species, this 'predator detection versus prey abundance' trade-off makes hunting in this habitat highly profitable and worthwhile for leopards -83% of kills occurred here. It is plausible that these factors enabled leopards to successfully hunt species that are normally regarded as challenging or high-risk prey like chacma baboons (Cowlishaw 1994;Jooste et al 2013), as most (n = 15; 83%) were killed in this habitat. The use of tall open woodland for hunting may be a result of some key factors that have been shown to facilitate successful leopard hunts: the abundance of prey (33.75 animals/km 2 ; Table 2), suitable vegetation cover (i.e.…”

The role of sleeping sites in the predator‐prey dynamics of leopards and olive baboons

“…A meta‐analysis found that leopards eat baboons significantly less often than expected based on prey abundance (Hayward et al, ), although at some times in some places leopard predation may be intense. For example, in the Waterberg Mountains of South Africa, baboons constituted over 20% of identified prey in the diet of three female leopards (Jooste, Pitman, van Hoven, & Swanepoel, ; Jooste, Hayward, Pitman, & Swanepoel, ). Leopards are solitary hunters that inhabit many types of environments in Africa and Asia, resulting in widely varying activity patterns and prey spectra (Hunter et al, ).…”