Prey selection by lions (Panthera leo) reintroduced into small game reserves (typically <1000 km²) in South Africa was compared with results from larger (more naturally functioning) protected areas. Prey selection was used to calculate mean preference indices, and where sample size allowed, tested for significance of preference, as well as for comparisons with current estimates in the literature. The model by Hayward & Kerley (2005) was found to be 85% accurate, suggesting it is well suited as a predictive tool for smaller game reserves. Disparities in prey selection found among study areas, as well as deviations from earlier findings, were highlighted. Potential explanations are offered within the context of optimal foraging theory. Two key issues affecting foraging patterns of lions and which is related to the way reserves are managed were addressed. Firstly, ungulate assemblages not resembling those of natural systems affects the way lions select prey and secondly, temporal declines in the prey base results in changes in lion prey selection. Thus it is not only relative abundance of a prey species that is an important predictor for prey selection, but also overall prey abundance.

To assist with identifying land for reintroduction, a habitat suitability model (HSM) for black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) was developed in the arid Augrabies Falls National Park, South Africa, from records of sightings, feeding trails and dung middens. Logistic regression and Bayesian Information Criterion were employed to construct and select the best HSM from >35 eco-geographical variables. The modelled and the observed distributions of black rhinos did not differ (P = 0.323) and k-fold cross-validation confirmed the model's ability to predict the distribution of independent data. The HSM consisted of five variables: availability and equitability of three preferred foods, distance to roads, habitat heterogeneity, slope and shade. The variables ‘distance to water’ and ‘rockiness’ were also included in the confidence set of models. Only 50% of the study area had a habitat suitability exceeding 11%, but featured 89% of rhino locations. Of 10 vegetation communities, two with high volumes of favourite foods were preferred. Feeding areas with a high density of preferred food plants were also highly preferred. The riverine vegetation community was not preferred, because its abundant browse was not of the preferred species. The apparent avoidance of roads warrants more research and the attention of park managers.

Most populations of wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are declining across southern and southeastern Africa, and in the Savé Valley Conservancy (SVC) the decline appears to be associated with declining populations of prey and increasing numbers of competitors. Identifying the threats to this wild dog population is currently needed to determine the most appropriate conservation actions. We studied the diet composition, breadth and overlap among four sympatric carnivores in SVC: African wild dog, spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta), lion (Panthera leo) and leopard (Panthera pardus), using faecal analysis. We found remains of 16 mammalian prey species, ranging from small to large mammals (2–525 kg). The four carnivores had many prey species in common (>70% diet overlap), with impala (Aepyceros melampus) consistently the most frequent. The frequency of occurrence of impala, however, was highest in the diets of wild dogs (74%), and wild dogs were found to have the narrowest standardized dietary niche breadth (0.087). The diets also varied significantly in the contribution of different prey-size categories, with large prey (>100 kg) contributing most to the diets of lions and hyaenas, and small prey (<5 kg) to the diet of leopards. With impala populations in decline, competition for prey can explain the observed decline in the less competitive and more specialized wild dog, whose main food resource is shared with a rapidly increasing population of spotted hyaenas and lions in the SVC.

Despite their wide distribution, feeding habits of leopards, Panthera pardus, outside savanna and forest habitats are poorly understood. We explored a novel approach of combining both GPS cluster and activity data analysis to study the hunting activity of a single female leopard in the Cederberg Mountains of the Western Cape, South Africa. Positions and acceleration data were obtained using a Vectronic GPS-PLUS collar. In total, 1760 GPS positions with a fix success of 87% were obtained between June 2008 and February 2009. Fifty-four of 78 potential kill sites identified from GPS data records were investigated 171 ± 91 days (mean ± S.D.) after the potential predation event which resulted in the detection of prey remains at 31 sites (success rate of 57.4%). Activity pattern was different at small-kill (rock hyrax; Hewitt's rock rabbit, Pronolagus saundersiae) sites compared to large-kill (antelope) sites, although data did not achieve significance (P = 0.07). Results of frequency analyses of activity data allowed the differentiation between feeding and non-feeding activity. The combination of different methods such as GPS telemetry and activity measurement provides a valuable means for detecting kill sites in rugged and largely inaccessible regions where direct observations and scat collection are difficult.

Caracal (Caracal caracal) diet in southern Africa has primarily been quantified in protected areas dominated by natural vegetation. Here we present data on the diet of caracal ranging in two coastal landscapes (George and Vleesbaai, South Africa) with considerable anthropogenic modification (pine plantation and agricultural land). In terms of the corrected frequency of occurrence (CFO), rodents dominated the diet (>70%) and the vlei rat (Otomys irroratus) formed the bulk in terms of volume of the rodents recorded in the diet at both sites. Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) formed an important component of the diet in George (11.4% CFO) while small carnivores comprised 11.6% CFO in Vleesbaai. Although our results are relevant in light of the extensively modified vegetation of this part of South Africa's coastal region, they are unlikely to represent the full extent of the diet in Vleesbaai, as farmers in this region regularly report livestock losses attributed to caracal.

Water is one of the fundamental requirements of life but there has been little study on the use of water by free-ranging wildlife communities. We investigated the timing of waterhole use by African fauna using webcams to determine whether this mode of data collection was viable, to determine whether animals drank randomly throughout the day, whether there were differences between guilds in waterhole use and finally we created a relative rank of water dependency by comparing waterhole use with the relative abundance of species at Kruger and Pilanesberg National Parks. We used webcams sited at waterholes in South Africa's Kruger and Pilanesberg, Madikwe Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Park, and Botswana's Mashatu Game Reserve to remotely monitor waterhole use at random times throughout the day. Over the 16-month study period, 1546 observations were made of 30 species at waterholes, with elephants (Loxodonta africana) and impala (Aepyceros melampus) being the most frequently observed species. There was a high degree of diurnal overlap in waterhole use amongst the herbivores, but they partitioned the time of peak waterhole use. Large predators were largely nocturnal while their prey was invariably diurnal. The index of relative water use showed that hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) and blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) were highly water-dependent, whereas lion (Panthera leo), spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) and kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) appear relatively water independent. African fauna may partition waterhole use to avoid competition and predation. The use of webcams is a novel technique to allow remote monitoring of aspects of the ecology of African wildlife at minimal cost.

The physiological condition of animals connects resources in the environment to demographic responses through reproduction, survival and abundance, and it provides critical information for conservation and management of wildlife populations. We used archived data (early-wet season 1987, late-wet and early-dry season 1988) from culls of impala (Aepyceros melampus) to compare how the kidney fat index (KFI, short-term index of body condition) and carcass mass (long-term index) varied seasonally. For females, KFI increased across seasons, a pattern similar for all age classes. For males, KFI was low and relatively invariable for juveniles and yearlings. For adults, KFI varied with reproductive cycle; highest KFI occurred early in the rut for males and around the second trimester for females. Carcass mass increased over time for growing juveniles and yearlings. For adults, female carcass mass varied according to reproductive cycle and was highest when KFI was highest. Male carcass mass was highest toward the end of the rut when KFI was relatively low. Although changes in body condition can be associated with seasonal changes in forage and activity, KFI and carcass mass are most useful when comparing across years with varying conditions, but within age, sex, and season.

Accurate estimates of predator densities are important for the conservation management of large predator populations. Predator densities outside of protected areas are often understudied and management decisions are based on assumptions of predator numbers. This study conducted three spoor surveys on commercial farmland in Botswana to estimate large predator densities. Brown hyaenas (Hyaena brunnea) were found to occur evenly across both cattle and game farms at higher densities than previously assumed. Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and leopards (Panthera pardus) were more commonly located on game ranches, at or below population density assumptions. This study demonstrated the importance but difficulties of conducting predator surveys on farmland, where study animals are often at risk of persecution by landowners, due to the perceived or real threat predators may pose to livestock and stocked game.

Transboundary protected areas may be important for the conservation of large African carnivores because these species require large tracts of habitat to maintain viable population numbers and gene flow. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus Schreber, 1775), is a species that may benefit from transboundary conservation agreements. It occurs at naturally low population densities, makes use of large home ranges, and disperses over long distances, thus requiring large tracts of suitable habitat to maintain viable population numbers. Here we present the first scientific evidence of a breeding population of cheetah in Parque Nacional do Limpopo (PNL), Mozambique. We obtained data from camera-traps deployed during occupancy surveys conducted from 9 September 2011 to 31 August 2012 over a 3400 km² study area located within the central third of PNL. These results highlight the importance of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTFP) to the overall conservation of cheetah in Africa, and the potential value of transboundary protected areas for the conservation of wide-roaming terrestrial mammals.

A dead, mature male leatherback turtle was sighted at Danger Point, Gansbaai on South Africa's southwest coast. Leatherback turtle sightings are rare along this coastline although the site lies between two areas of known aggregation; a tropical breeding area to the east and the highly productive Benguela upwelling ecosystem foraging area to the west.