Assigning ages to lions (Panthera leo) requires the use of subjective and objective criteria, and is useful for conservation decision-making in that age distributions can be defined from which demographic profiles can be extracted. We collated all age assignment criteria and found that a constraint of most objective criteria is that they require Immobilized or dead specimens to measure. Furthermore, nearly all criteria used lions with assumed ages to construct relationships or narrative descriptions. We show that digital photogrammetry provides digitally-derived measures of shoulder heights similar to that of linearly derived measures. In addition, such shoulder heights did not differ between captive and free ranging lions, or between different regions in Africa. Variation in shoulder height is primarily associated with sex-specific age. Age, using the von Bertalanffy growth curve, explained 92% and 97% of the variation in female and male shoulder height, a skeletal measure not strongly affected by resource availability. Simulations suggest that age assignment is relatively accurate for females and males with shoulder heights up to 70 cm and 95 cm, respectively. Thus for lions younger than two years of age objective criteria gives most precise estimates, while subjective criteria are more suitable for older lions. Key words: African lion, age assignment, growth, shoulder height.

Recent technological advances in Global Positioning system (GPS) technology have generated an Increase in the use of GPS collars fitted to wild animals to track their movements. GPS units are advantageous compared to other methods of remote tracking of animals in that the have the ability to gather large quantities of spatial data that may be accessed remotely. However, animal behaviour, topography, vegetation, and seasonality could all influence GPS acquisition success and therefore bias results from GPS technology. Here we analyse temporal and seasonal patterns associated with GPS acquisition failures in five GPS collars fitted to leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Waterberg region of South Africa. Of 6565 attempted GPS acquisitions, 19% (1236) failed with the location failure rate of Individual collars ranging from 15–29%. Single failed attempts accounted for the majority of location failures, suggesting that failure was caused by temporary blockage to satellites. Failure rates were significantly higher during the day and there were Indications that they were higher during the wet season than in the dry season. Failures were also clustered in space for some Individual animals. Our results suggest that temporal patterns of animal behaviour and habitat choice Influence the probability of GPS location failures in this species. We therefore suggest that potential biases should be accounted for when using GPS data to analyse movement and habitat selection in this and similar carnivore species.

The Howard College Campus (HCC) of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is a registered Conservancy and houses the Msinsi Nature Reserve. A resident population of feral cats (Felis catus) resides on campus. There are two opposing views about these animals; one is that, by killing birds, lizards and small mammals, they negatively affect native wildlife, another is that management efforts, such as feeding and sterilization, minimize predation on wildlife and control cat numbers. The outcome of this debate is crucial in developing long-term management goals for the campus Conservancy. This study represents an assessment of stakeholder perceptions regarding the feral cat population. Participants observed feral cats in areas with feeding stations. Feeding was the main activity observed. Feelings towards the cats were generally positive. There was strong opposition to the eradication of the entire population; respondents did not consider feral cats an Invasive alien species, rather a benign exotic species. The management Implications of these findings are significant and these views should be considered in developing a management strategy. Further research should explore the use of feeding stations and sterilization, but additional research is necessary to determine the Impact of feral cats on wildlife in and around the Conservancy.

The dietary composition of the western Derby eland (Taurotragus derbianus derbianus), a critically endangered antelope, was investigated using microhistological analyses of faeces. Samples were collected in the Niokolo Koba National Park, the refuge of the last wild population, and in the Bandia wildlife reserve, where the animals foraged on natural and supplementary food. Leaves, shoots of woody plants, and fruits were the three major components at both sites. They formed 98.8% of diet volume in the wild and 77.5% in the Bandia Reserve where supplementary food reduced the consumption of natural components but maintained the total content of major components together with supplement at 99.2%. Other components such as forbs and grasses appeared in low proportions, generally below 5% of the mean volume. Leaves of Boscia angustifolia, Grewia bicolor, Hymenocardia acida, and Ziziphus mauritiana, and fruits of Acacia spp. and Strychnos spinosa were identified as part of the diet in the wild. In the Bandia Reserve, the proportions of diet components did not differ between males and females, but there were differences in consumption of supplementary food between age classes. The results indicate that in the dry season the western Derby eland behaves as a pure browser, consuming grasses in negligible amounts. Consequently, woody savanna habitat is necessary for future conservation enclosures to ensure adequate natural forage resources for animals and thus to avoid food supplementing that presents a risk of dietary shifts in animals in captivity.

The giant sable (Hippotragus niger variani) is one of Africa's most spectacular large antelope. Years of civil unrest in Angola, a highly localized distribution and Interbreeding with its congener the roan antelope (H. equinus) has led to this subspecies being considered as critically endangered. Sable antelope occurring ∼600 km to the east in western Zambia superficially resemble giant sable in phenotype, prompting speculation in the popular media that the distribution of giant sable may be larger than currently documented. Our aim here was to Investigate the evolutionary placement of western Zambian sable using mitochondrial DNA control region data. Phylogenese analyses (maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses) supported the monophyly of H. n. variant (Bayesian posterior probability of >0.95, bootstrap support >80%) and nested the western Zambian sable within H. n. niger. This finding was supported by an analysis of molecular variance that discretely grouped western Zambian sable from giant sable (Φ_ST = 0.645, P = 0.001). Significant genetic structure was also found across the range of H. n. nigera as Indicated by our phylogenetic analyses and analysis of molecular variance (Φ_ST = 0.418, P = 0.001). We conclude that although the western Zambian sable antelope and those of H. n. variani resemble one another in morphology, particularly with respect to facial markings, significant genetic differences underpin these two evolutionary lineages. Our findings hold Implications for the conservation of sable and highlight the need for active management Intervention.

The oribi (Ourebia ourebi) is a small antelope listed as endangered in the South African Red Data Book. One of the reasons for its decline is illegal hunting. Poaching in South Africa appears to be Increasing, and yet little is documented in terms of this. Consequently, Interviews were conducted in several rural settlements near commercial farms with conservancy areas in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, to establish Information about their perceptions of Illegal hunting, frequency and preferred methods of poaching, and their knowledge of conservation and the laws protecting game. Local farmers and landowners in KZN were also surveyed to gauge the effects of poaching on private land and their opinions on who is poaching and why. it appears that Illegal poaching is common and therefore a real threat to Indigenous wildlife. Poverty is a factor affecting the frequency of poaching by rural communities as bushmeat alleviates the lack of food, particularly protein. in addition, there is a recreational and social significance of hunting where sport/gambling and possibly cultural drivers Influenced hunting activities. Interestingly the perception of landowners contrasted with this as most perceived a lack of poaching on their land. To reduce poaching and Its effects, further education and alternative meat and entertainment sources will be required.

Facultative sex allocation theories predict that animals will bias their offspring's sex In response to environmental cues. Biased sex ratios can be a problem when managing small populations in the wild or captivity. Using rainfall and calving records from Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa, we compared seasonal and annual rainfall with calving rates and sex of the calves. Between 1989–2004,159 calves were sighted soon enough after birth to reliably attribute their conception to a particular season and year. Conceptions were strongly seasonal, with most (73.6%) occurring during rainy seasons and the remainder during dry seasons. Overall progeny sex ratio for the period 1989–2004 was 53.1% male. Mothers were more likely to be observed with male calves if they conceived during the wet season (57.3% male) than during the dry season (42.9% male) in accordance with the Trivers-Willard hypothesis. Similar numbers of conceptions that resulted in calves occurred during wet and dry years (52.2% of conceptions occurred during wet years). Mothers were more likely to raise male calves if they conceived during wet years (60.2% male) than during dry years (46.1% male). Removal of males from small populations might be particularly Important after a sequence of wet years to facilitate greater population growth.

Live-harvests from source populations for translocation are key to rapid recovery for many species. Contrary to common assumption, however, reduced density might not Immediately Improve vital rates because animal recolonization is slow — creating management uncertainty about harvest adequacy or sustainability. Reports measuring animal recolonization are rare. We measured the response of the 19 same- or opposite-sex neighbours of 11 live-harvested black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis minor) in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa, by comparing the size and location of their activity areas for an average two years before and after harvest. The only significant change was a decolonization response by opposite-sex neighbours, especially males after the harvest of a female neighbour. Recolonization of habitat after harvest, at least by neighbours, might not Just be slow but also further delayed by the disruption of long-standing breeding relationships with Important Implications for the spatial pattern and frequency of harvest.

We documented the habitat selection and use in the ice rat, Otomys sloggetti robertsi, in Lesotho. Ice rats are herbivorous, burrow-dwelling rodents, endemic to the southern African Drakensberg and Maluti mountains at altitudes above 2000 m. We predicted that Ice rat habitat selection is associated with soil qualities suitable for burrowing, as well as the availalbility of food plants and cover. We also tested whether space use changed seasonally and differed between the sexes. We studied habitat selection at different spatial scales, and recorded several biotic and abiotic environmental variables. We found that the presence of food plants (i.e. wetland sedges and herbaceous plants) were the main determinants of the presence of ice rats. Contrary to expectations, soil characteristics and woody vegetation cover were not key determinants of ice rat colonies, regardless of season. Space use was greater in summer than winter, and females utilized larger areas than males in summer. The close association of ice rats with their food plants is also observed in some of its relatives in other habitats. However, unlike other otomyines, ice rats occupy cold environments, and their close proximity to food and distance from cover may be a response to reduce exposure to low temperatures.

Roost use by African bats is poorly known, particularly for those using cavities in trees. Two sympatric species of Scotophilus were fitted with transmitters and tracked to their respective roosts in a natural savanna site in Swaziland. Both species roosted exclusively in trees, apparently preferring Combretum imberbe trees with large girths. The conservation of such roosting trees may be critical to the continued persistence of cavity-nesting insectivorous bats in African savannas.

Many carnivores are difficult and labour-intensive to detect, often leading to prohibitively high effort and cost in large-scale surveys. However, such studies provide Information that is Important for effective management and conservation. Here, we evaluate the suitability of three survey methods for landscape-scale multi-species monitoring. We compare sign surveys, spotlighting, and audio playbacks in terms of detection efficiency, precision, effort, and cost. Sign surveys out-performed the other methods in all comparison criteria, although supplementary methods were needed for some species and sites. We found that using established analysis techniques, robust landscape-scale abundance estimates would require unrealistically high effort and cost. Occupancy estimation required considerably lower sample sizes and was therefore more economical. We conclude that sign-based occupancy estimates constitute a versatile and efficient option for future large-scale, multi-species carnivore surveys.

Distance sampling using line transects has become a well-known method for estimating densities of both large and small mammals in relatively open habitats, although it has not yet been reported for smaller mammals (<10 kg) in southern Africa. In 2007 and 2008 we used distance sampling to estimate numbers of springhares (Pedetes capensis), Cape hares (Lepus capensis) and steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) on farms near Kimberley, South Africa. Surveys for springhares and Cape hares were conducted on Benfontein Game Farm, whereas surveys for steenbok occurred on nearby small-livestock farms. We derived density estimates with relatively low 95% confidence intervals and coefficients of variation for all three species, with only moderate time spent in the field by researchers. Our results suggest distance sampling using line transects is a very useful and efficient technique for estimating densities of springhare, Cape hare and steenbok populations in relatively open and homogeneous habitats.

As countries and destinations try to increase their share of the international and national tourism market, it is important to understand why people travel and why they choose a specific destination. We here determine and compare travel motives of visitors to Kruger and Tsitsikamma National Parks. We administered 2899 questionnaires in the Kruger National Park and 829 in the Tsitsikamma National Park. A factor analysis was used to determine the travel motives and six factors were identified respectively for both parks. Results showed that tourists have common as well as unique motives in the two parks. Common motives in both parks include escape from city life and relaxation as well as knowledge seeking, nostalgia and park attributes. Unique to the Kruger National Park are activities and novelty compared to nature experience and photography for the Tsitsikamma National Park. This research therefore confirmed that different attractions and destinations feed different travel motives even when classified as similar types of products. Marketers can use this Information to position these parks and to focus their marketing communication more effectively.