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Changes of population trends and mortality patterns in response to the reintroduction of large predators: The case study of African ungulates

Large predators have been reintroduced to an increasing number of protected areas in South Africa. However, the conditions allowing both prey and predator populations to be sustained in enclosed areas are still unclear as there is a lack of understanding of the consequences of such reintroductions for ungulate population dynamics. Variation in lion numbers, two decades after their first release, offered a special opportunity to test the effects of predation pressure on the population dynamics of seven ungulate species in

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The numerical status of sixteen game species in the Transvaal, excluding the Kruger National Park

The paper describes the results of a survey to determine the numbers of the following game species in the Transvaal: springbok, blesbok, zebra, blue wildebeest, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, gemsbok, eland, nyaia, buffalo, elephant, giraffe and squarelipped rhinoceros. The distribution of each species is discussed and the different localities of occurrence are illustrated. The growing concern for the conservation of wildlife in the Transvaal has resulted in an increase in the numbers of most of the species during the past

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Utilisation and aspects of management of the Willem Pretorius Game Reserve

The Willem Pretorius Nature Reserve, Orange Free State, is briefly described, and aspects of management and utilisation with particular reference to game animals are discussed. Habitat management is the one aspect needing a great deal more attention and it would appear that the capture of game for live sale and relocation is a satisfactory way of controlling vegetation overutilisation, at the same time providing a source of income directly from sales and indirectly by providing public hunting of the excess

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Outlines of wildlife conservation in Angola

A review of the history and present status of wildlife conservation in the Portuguese west African state of Angola is presented. The geomorphology, geology, climate and major biogeographic divisions are briefly described and the history of wildlife legislation and administration reviewed. The present status of existing conservation areas, wildlife utilization, threatened ecosystems and rare species is discussed. Research priorities are noted and future trends in conservation policy outlined.

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Extreme Wildlife Declines and Concurrent Increase in Livestock Numbers in Kenya: What Are the Causes?

There is growing evidence of escalating wildlife losses worldwide. Extreme wildlife losses have recently been documented for large parts of Africa, including western, Central and Eastern Africa. Here, we report extreme declines in wildlife and contemporaneous increase in livestock numbers in Kenya rangelands between 1977 and 2016. Our analysis uses systematic aerial monitoring survey data collected in rangelands that collectively cover 88% of Kenya’s land surface. Our results show that wildlife numbers declined on average by 68% between 1977 and

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Species assignment and conservation genetics of giraffe in the Republic of Malawi

Historically, giraffe have been translocated across Africa to supplement extant populations, reintroduce extinct populations or to establish new populations, often for conservation and tourism. Such faunal relocations were often carried out disregarding taxonomic affiliation. Today, the small giraffe populations in the Republic of Malawi are assumed to consist of South African giraffe (Giraffa giraffa giraffa), which have likely descended from five individuals translocated from Imire Game Park (Zimbabwe) to Nyala Game Park (Malawi) in 1993. However, during the last 25

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Giraffe demography and population ecology

Population dynamics describe temporal change in population size and structure and the processes that contribute to that change. For conservation to succeed, it is critical that we are able to detect changes in population size and the demographic processes in the population, and also we must learn how to effect change in population size by managing specific demographic components. This article summarizes current knowledge of demography and population ecology of giraffes and provides a framework for using population models to

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Habitat availability, hunting or poaching: what affects distribution and density of large mammals in western Tanzanian woodlands?

Game reserves (GR) in Tanzania have been found to support similar or lower densities of large mammals compared with National parks (NP). But as these areas usually differ considerably not only in regard to management but also to environmental factors, we assessed the relative importance of vegetation cover, species-specific habitat preferences and legal (trophy hunting) and illegal off-take for observed differences in species-specific densities. In the Katavi ecosystem, open habitats were characteristic elements of Katavi NP, while Rukwa GR was

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