Using spoor counts to analyse the effect of small stock farming in Namibia on caracal density in the neighbouring Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Abstract

A spoor count was done to determine whether caracal spoor densities in the vicinity of the border of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park differed from those in the interior of the Park. The objective was to compare caracal densities close to the agricultural land with those deeper in a national park. Two long-distance transects, one along the Namibian border and one diverging from the Namibian border into the interior of the Park, were surveyed on a monthly basis. Spoor density, discrete track set distances and orientation of spoor to the road were recorded and analysed to establish use patterns for three distinct zones in the Park. The hypothesis tested was that increased spoor counts along the border should result from an attraction to the adjacent agricultural (cattle and sheep production) land. It is shown that caracals avoid the areas near the Namibian border during the hot season but increased their utilization in this region in the cold season. This implies that under conditions of low prey availability (cold season) caracals may move to the border and cross onto agricultural land to prey on small livestock, there. Article Outline

Density of Wild Prey Modulates Lynx Kill Rates on Free-Ranging Domestic Sheep

“…The difference may simply be a matter of scale. As demonstrated here, and in several other studies, the depredation pressure on livestock can be higher when the overall wild prey densities are less abundant [6] , [15] , [16] , [18] , [22] , [51] , [52] . On a fine scale (within sections of a home range) depredation may be linked to patches of high ungulate densities, because carnivores may just spend more time in the most prey rich patches, leading to higher encounter rates with livestock and therefore more incidental depredation [8] – [10] , [53] .…”

Sustainable small stock farming and ecosystem conservation in southern Africa: a role for small mammals?

“…Where the differences observed between caracal diet and home range size between the WCNP study and that of other regions (see Pringle and Pringle 1979, Skinner 1979, Grobler 1981, Stuart 1982, Moolman 1984, Bernard and Stuart 1987, Palmer and Fairall 1988, Weibstein and Mendelsohn 1990, Stuart and Hickman 1991, Bothma and Le Riche 1994, Van Heezik and Seddan 1998, Melville and Bothma 2006a could be attributed to differences in variables, such as prey community structure, habitat and climate, no contradictions in social and territorial behavior were found. The WCNP study significantly added to our understanding of the role of caracal in the ecosystem, inter alia in keeping density of prey species low and ensuring healthy and productive prey populations and greater diversity of species.…”

Interpretations of Polar Bear (<em>Ursus maritimus</em>) Tracks by Inuit Hunters: Inter-rater Reliability and Inferences Concerning Accuracy

“…Tracks alone can be used to detect the presence or absence of individual Polar Bears (Balme et al 2009); behavioural activity such as births, disappearance of young, maturity, and maternity (Jewell et al 2001); and, more importantly, large changes in population activity over large areas (Balme et al 2009) and time (kendall et al 1992;Hayward et al 2002;melville and Bothma 2006;Balme et al 2009) with high statistical power in detecting decreases in abundance (Beier and Cunningham 1996). These data could, in conjunction with modelling techniques associated with capture-mark-recapture surveys, inform managers when another survey is required to re-evaluate harvest quotas.…”