Mokslinėje literatūroje sutinkama, kad tėvų-vaiko santykiai itin svarbūs vaiko asmenybės raidai, vėlesnei psichologinei jo sveikatai ir yra susiję su valgymo sutrikimų vystymusi. Tėvų globos bei kontrolės lygio sąsajos su įvairiais asmenybiniais ypatumais (tokiais kaip savigarba, polinkis į perfekcionizmą) tikrinamos atskirose studijose, tačiau nepavyko aptikti tyrimų minėtas sąsajas vertinusių toje pačioje imtyje. Taip pat klinikinėje praktikoje pastebima, kad valgymo sutrikimais sergantys pacientai pasižymi priešiškumu sau, arba yra linkę savęs nekęsti. Vis dėlto, mokslinių tyrimų, analizuojančių šias negatyvias į save nukreiptas emocijas, yra labai mažai, o mėginimų jas įvertinti kiekybiškai apskritai neteko rasti. Taigi šio tyrimo tikslas yra patikrinti suvoktos tėvų globos bei kontrolės lygio sąsajas su valgymo sutrikimais bei specifiniais asmenybės ypatumais: asmens savigarba, polinkiu į perfekcionizmą bei negatyvia emocine nuostata į save. Tyrime dalyvavo dvi respondentų grupės: valgymo sutrikimų turinčiųjų (N=39) ir kontrolinė (N=30). Tyrime naudotos šios metodikos: valgymo sutrikimų simptomatikos išreikštumui vertinti naudotas sutrumpintas Požiūrio į valgymą skalės (EAT) variantas – EAT-26 skalė, suvoktos tėvų globos bei kontrolės lygiui vertinti – Tėvų-vaiko ryšio klausimynas (PBI); savigarbai – M. Rosenberg savigarbos skalė (RSES), polinkiui į perfekcionizmą – Daugiamatė perfekcionizmo skalė (MPS-F), o negatyviai emocinei nuostatai į save – Negatyvios emocinės... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In literature it is widely agreed that parental-child relations are especially important for development of child’s personality and for psychological health of a child. Parental-child bonding is also correlated with eating disorders. The correlations between parental care and control and various personality features of a child are checked in different researches. But we failed to find a study, where the aforementioned correlations had been tested in the same sample. Furthermore in clinical practice it is noticed that patients with eating disorders are tend to feel hostility to themselves as far as are prone to self-hatred. However there are few studies where such negative emotions to self is analyzed. And we failed to find a research where this issue had been analyzed quantitatively. So the aim of this study is to assess the correlations between conceived parental care and control, eating disorders and specific personality features: self-esteem, perfectionism and negative emotional attitude to self. There were two groups of respondents in this study. One of them consisted of women with eating disorders (N=39) and the other – of controls (N=30). The methods used in this study were: the strength of the symptoms of eating disorders was measured with shortened form of Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), the level of conceived parental care and control was assessed with Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), self-esteem was tested with M. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the level of... [to full text]

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / In this thesis, we investigate the HIV/AIDS epidemic in a population which experiences a significant flow of immigrants. We derive and analyse a math- ematical model that describes the dynamics of HIV infection among the im- migrant youths and intervention that can minimize or prevent the spread of the disease in the population. In particular, we are interested in the effects of public-health education and of parental care.We consider existing models of public-health education in HIV/AIDS epidemi-ology, and provide some new insights on these. In this regard we focus atten-tion on the papers [b] and [c], expanding those researches by adding sensitivity analysis and optimal control problems with their solutions.Our main emphasis will be on the effect of parental care on HIV/AIDS epidemi-ology. In this regard we introduce a new model. Firstly, we analyse the model without parental care and investigate its stability and sensitivity behaviour.We conduct both qualitative and quantitative analyses. It is observed that in the absence of infected youths, disease-free equilibrium is achievable and is asymptotically stable. Further, we use optimal control methods to determine the necessary conditions for the optimality of intervention, and for disease eradication or control. Using Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle to check the effects of screening control and parental care on the spread of HIV/AIDS, we observe that parental care is more effective than screening control. However, the most efficient control strategy is in fact a combination of parental care and screening control. The results form the central theme of this thesis, and are included in the manuscript [a] which is now being reviewed for publication. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to illustrate the analytical results.

Les interactions interindividuelles permettent la transmission de l’information, la dispersion des pathogènes et la mise en place des comportements dans une population. Cette thèse a permis d’évaluer l’influence des interactions sociales sur le succès de fondation colonial des différents reproducteurs de deux termites européens, l’invasif Reticulitermes flavipes et le natif R. grassei. Les résultats révèlent (i) un meilleur succès de fondation des reproducteurs primaires de R. flavipes, (ii) une organisation biparentale des soins aux jeunes toutes espèces confondues et (iii) une communication et des soins aux oeufs propres aux caractères invasif et natif des espèces d’étude. Pour finir, (iv) une meilleure survie et communication a été observée dans les colonies fondées avec reproducteurs secondaires tandis (v) qu’une communication supérieure et une survie moindre sont observées pour R. flavipes. Les origines évolutives de l’organisation biparentale et des variations de succès de fondations sont discutées. / Individual interactions permit information transmission, pathogen dispersion and shape behavioral strategies in a population. This thesis has permit to explore the influence of social interactions on the colonial foundation success of two European termites, the invasive Reticulitermes flavipes and the native R. grassei. The overall results revealed (i) a better foundation success of primary reproductives of R. flavipes, (ii) a biparental organisation of parental care in both species (iii) a level of communication and egg care reflecting native and invasive status of the two species studied. To finish, (iv) better survival and communication rates were observed in colonies founded with secondary reproductives than in colonies without any and (v) a better communication rate and a weaker survival rate for R. flavipes foundations with or without secondary reproductives. Evolutive origins of biparental care and of the variations of foundation success observed are discussed.

L’étude des mécanismes endocriniens est particulièrement intéressante du fait du rôle majeur des hormones dans la régulation des interactions entre la physiologie d’un organisme, son comportement, et les modifications de son environnement. Cette thèse s’est intéressée aux relations entre le statut hormonal, les performances de reproduction et le succès reproducteur d’un oiseau marin longévif, le manchot Adélie Pygoscelis adeliae, dans un contexte environnemental soumis à des changements. Le statut endocrinien de manchots mâles a été manipulé en utilisant des implants dégradables sous-cutanés diffusant l’hormone d’intérêt ou un inhibiteur de sa sécrétion. Les effets d’une modification des niveaux d’hormones sur l’investissement parental pendant l’incubation ont été mesurés à l’aide d’observations directes et d’oeufsfactices enregistrant les paramètres d’incubation. Les niveaux de corticostérone – hormone dite de stress, de prolactine – hormone des soins parentaux, et de testostérone – hormone liée aux comportements sexuels et à l’agressivité, ont été manipulés. Les effets d’une augmentation des niveaux de corticostérone sur les performances et le succès reproducteur pendant la période de l’élevage des poussins ont également été mesurés. Enfin, les conséquences d’une légère élévation des niveaux de corticostérone pendant l’ensemble de la saison de reproduction en termes de comportement et de succès reproducteur ont été examinées. Une augmentation des niveaux de corticostérone a globalement diminué les performances et le succès de reproduction. D’autre part, une modification des niveaux de prolactine ou de testostérone a affecté la durée etles paramètres d’incubation, suggérant une implication de ces deux hormones dans le contrôle de la phénologie de la reproduction. Les résultats présentés dans cette thèse mettent l’accent sur le fait que la relation entre statut endocrinien et performances de reproduction est dose, état et contexte dépendante. Nos résultats illustrent le rôle majeur des hormones étudiées dans la régulation de l’effort reproducteur, et soulignent également l’importance de considérer les interactions entre les organismes et leur environnement. / Studying endocrine mechanisms is of particular interest because of the major role played by hormones in mediating interactions between an animal’s physiology, its behaviour, and both predictable and unpredictable regimes of environmental variation. During this PhD, I have investigated the relationships between endocrine status, reproductive performance, and reproductive output in a long-lived polar seabird, the Adélie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae, while integrating environmental parameters for some of the studies. The endocrine status of male penguins was experimentally modified using subcutaneous self-degradable pellets, which released either the hormone or an inhibitor of its secretion. The effects of changes in the levels of several hormones on the parental investment during incubation were assessed, using direct observations and dummy eggs to record incubation parameters. The levels of corticosterone – the so-called stress hormone, prolactin – the parental care hormone, and testosterone – the sexual behaviour and aggressiveness hormone, were manipulated. The effects of increased corticosterone levels on reproductive performance and output were also evaluated during the chick-rearing period. Finally, the behavioural consequences of a moderate elevation of corticosterone levels during the whole breeding cycle were assessed. On the whole, an increase in corticosterone levels decreased reproductive performances and output. Changes in prolactin or testosterone levels affected incubation duration and egg temperature, suggesting a role for these hormones in the control of the timing of breeding. The results prevented in this PhD highlight the fact that the relationship between endocrine status and reproductive performance is dose-, state-, and context-dependant. Our results illustrate the major role of the hormones considered in our studies in the regulation of reproductive effort. They also underline the importance of considering the interactions of organisms with their environment in studies of animal behaviour and ecophysiology.

Focusing on the rights of children who are deprived of their family environment and remain in child-headed households in the context of the HIV epidemic in Africa cannot be more relevant at present as the continent faces a significant increase in the number of children who are left to fend for themselves due to the impact of the epidemic. The impact of the epidemic is so severe that it is likened to an armed conflict. In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 22.4 million people are living with HIV, and in 2008 alone, 2 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses. Such massive loss of human lives is itself a tragedy. However, the repercussions of the epidemic suffered by children may be less visible, yet are just as far-reaching, and in all likelihood longer lasting in their effects. Initially, it appeared that children were only marginally affected by the epidemic. Unfortunately, it is now clear that children are at the heart of the epidemic. In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 14 million children lost their parents to AIDS-related illnesses and an unimaginable number of children consequently find themselves in deepened poverty. Traditionally, children who are deprived of their family environment in Africa have been cared for by extended families. However, the HIV epidemic has dramatically affected the demography of many African societies. As the epidemic continues to deplete resources of the affected families and communities, extended families and communities find it more and more difficult to provide adequate care to the increasing number of children who are deprived of parental care. As a result, more and more children are taking care of themselves in child-headed households. The foremost responsibility of states with regards to children who are deprived of parental care is to support families and communities so that they are able to provide adequate care to children in need of care, thereby preventing children from being deprived of their family environment. While strengthening families and communities, as required by articles 20 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child and 25 of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, as well as other international guidelines such as the 2009 UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children, states also have the responsibility to provide ‘special protection and assistance’ to children who are already deprived of their family environment and are living in child-headed households. The important question is how to interpret the right to alternative care, and special protection and assistance, with respect to children in child-headed households. The study examines the international standards and norms regarding children who are deprived of their family environment including children in child-headed households and explores the ways those children are supported and protected in South Africa, against the background of related developments in a number of different African countries, including Namibia, Southern Sudan and Uganda. In 2002, the South African Law Reform Commission made the important recommendation that child-headed households should be legally recognised. The Children’s Amendment Act (No 41 of 2007), which amended the comprehensive Children’s Act (No 38 of 2005) gave effect to this recommendation by legally recognising child-headed households under prescribed conditions. It is a bold step to strengthen the protection and assistance given to children in child-headed households. However, child-headed households should not be legally recognised unless all the necessary protection and assistance measures are effectively put in place. In order to design and implement the measures of protection and assistance to children in child-headed households, a holistic children’s rights-based approach should be a guiding light. A rights-based approach, which articulates justiciable rights, establishes a link between the entitlement of children as rights-holders and legal obligations of states as duty-bearers. States have the primary responsibility to provide appropriate protection and assistance to children who are deprived of their family environment. This is a legal obligation of states, not a charitable action. A rights-based approach is further important in that it ensures that both the process of mitigation strategies and the outcome of such efforts are firmly based on human rights standards. The study argues that legal recognition should be given to child-headed household only after a careful evaluation based on the international standards with regard to children deprived of their family environment. It further argues that measures of ‘special protection and assistance’ should be devised and implemented using a rights-based approach respecting, among others, children’s rights to non-discrimination, to participation and to have their best interests given a priority. / Thesis (LLD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Centre for Human Rights / unrestricted

This dissertation looks at the position of the unmarried father in South Africa with regard to obtaining access to his illegitimate child. The writer has focused on three distinct eras in South African family law: the position of unmarried fathers in terms of: the common law; Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act; and the Children's Act. The writer has further focused on a case study. This is to emphasis the difficulty which unmarried fathers have when attempting to go through the courts to have access to his child. In terms of South African common law, fathers of illegitimate children did not have any form of parental authority over the child. The mothers of illegitimate children have full parental authority over such children. Access in terms of South African common-law is seen as an incident of parental authority. Unmarried fathers nevertheless had the right to approach the high court to obtain access to their children, if the mother of the child refuses to allow the father to have such access. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, there was an overwhelming amount of applications brought by unmarried fathers in the high courts so as to obtain access to their illegitimate children. The case of Van Erk v Holmer 1992 (2) SA 636 (W) sparked victory for unmarried fathers when the learned judge held that all unmarried fathers of children have an inherent right of access to their children. This victory was short-lived. Subsequent case law and in particular the case of B v S 1995 (3) SA 571 (A) enforced the common law and held that unmarried fathers do not have an automatic right to their illegitimate children and that such fathers will have to apply to the high court for such access. Due to the increase in litigation in the late 1980's and early 1990's regarding a father's access to his child born out of wedlock the Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act commenced on 4 September 1998. The South African legislature adopted the approach taken in the case of B v S 1995 (3) SA 571 (A) and rejected the approach taken in the case of Van Erk v Holmer 1992 (2) SA 636 (W) ie the common law continued to remain the approach taken in South Africa. Legislators recognised that the approach taken in the Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act does not conform to the provisions of the African Charter of the Rights and the Welfare of the Child, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and equality and dignity provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. On 19 June 2006, the Children's Act was effected and will commence once promulgated in the Government Gazette. The writer then determines whether the Children's Act has in practice changed the position of the unmarried father. / JURISPRUDENCE / LLM

ABSTRACT Social relationships, habitat utilisation and life history characteristics provide a framework which enables the survival of populations in fluctuating ecological conditions. An understanding of behavioural ecology is critical to the implementation of Natural Resource Management strategies if they are to succeed in their conservation efforts during the emergence of climate change. Egernia whitii from Wedge Island in the Spencer Gulf of South Australia were used as a model system to investigate the interaction of life history traits, scat piling behaviour and chemosensory communication in social lizards. Juveniles typically took ¡Ý 3 years to reach sexual maturity and the results of skeletochronological studies suggested longevity of ¡Ý 13 years. Combined with a mean litter size of 2.2, a pregnancy rate estimated at 75% of eligible females during short-term studies, and highly stable groups, this information suggests several life history features. Prolonged juvenile development and adult longevity may be prerequisite to the development of parental care. Parental care may, in turn, be the determining factor that facilitates the formation of small family groups. In E. whitii parental care takes the form of foetal and neonatal provisioning and tolerance of juveniles by small family or social groups within established resource areas. Presumably, resident juveniles also benefit from adult territorialism. Research on birds suggests that low adult mortality predisposes cooperative breeding or social grouping in birds, and life history traits and ecological factors appear to act together to facilitate cooperative systems. E. whitii practice scat piling both individually and in small groups. Social benefits arising from signalling could confer both cooperative and competitive benefits. Permanent territorial markers have the potential to benefit conspecifics, congenerics and other species. The high incidence of a skink species (E. whitii) refuging with a gecko species (N. milii) on Wedge Island provides an example of interspecific cooperation. The diurnal refuge of the nocturnal gecko is a useful transient shelter for the diurnal skink. Scat piling may release a species ¡®signature¡¯ for each group that allows mutual recognition. Scat piling also facilitates intraspecific scent marking by individual members, which has the potential to indicate relatedness, or social or sexual status within the group. The discovery of cloacal scent marking activity is new to the Egernia genus. E. Whitii differentiate between their own scats, and conspecific and congeneric scats. They scent mark at the site of conspecific scats, and males and females differ in their response to scent cues over time. Scat piling has the potential to make information concerning the social environment available to dispersing transient and potential immigrant conspecifics, enabling settlement choices to be made. This thesis explores some of the behavioural strategies employed by E. whitii to reduce risks to individuals within groups and between groups. Scents eliciting a range of behavioural responses relevant to the formation of adaptive social groupings, reproductive activity, and juvenile protection until maturity and dispersal are likely to be present in this species. Tests confirming chemosensory cues that differentiate sex, kin and age would be an interesting addition to current knowledge. The interaction of delayed maturity, parental care, sociality, chemosensory communication and scat piling highlights the sophistication of this species¡¯ behaviour. An alternative method for permanently marking lizards was developed. Persistence, reliability and individual discrimination were demonstrated using photographic identification and the method was shown to be reliable for broad-scale application by researchers. Naturally occurring toe loss in the field provided a context against which to examine this alternative identification method and revealed the need to further investigate the consequences of routine toe clipping, as this practice appears to diminish survivorship.

Abstract Between October 1999 and October 2003, 30 adult and 48 young (< 1 year) raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) were monitored using radio-telemetry in an area of Germany which has been occupied by this invasive alien species since the early 1990s. Additionally, three pairs of raccoon dogs were observed by continuous radio-tracking during the first six weeks after parturition in 2003. Furthermore 136 raccoon dog pubs were ear-tagged between June 1999 and August 2006. No adult animals dispersed from the area during the study period and home ranges tended to be used for several years, probably for life. The average annual home range size, calculated using 95% fixed kernel, was 382.2 ha ± 297.4 SD for females (n = 30 seasonal home ranges) and 352.4 ha ± 313.3 SD for males (n = 32 seasonal home ranges). Paired raccoon dogs had home ranges of similar size, with pair sharing the same area all year round. Raccoon dogs occupied large core areas (85% kernel) covering 81.2% of their home ranges. The home ranges were at their smallest during the mating season. The slightly larger size of home ranges in winter suggests that, due to the temperate climate, raccoon dogs do not hibernate in Germany. Males and females formed a long-term (probably lifelong) pair bond. Same-sex neighbours ignored each other and even adjacent males/females showed neither preference nor avoidance. Thus, it can be assumed that the raccoon dog in Central Europe is monogamous without exclusive territories, based on the results of home range overlap analysis and interaction estimations. Habitat composition within home ranges and within the whole study area was almost equal. Although, percentage shares of farmland and meadow was 16.35% smaller and 12.06% higher within the home ranges, respectively. All nine habitat types (farmland, forest, settlement, water, meadows, maize fields, small woods, reeds and hedges) were used opportunistically by raccoon dogs. No significant, recognisable difference for habitat preferences between seasons was detected. Male and female raccoon dog showed equal habitat preference pattern. A comparison of active and inactive locations in different habitats found no remarkable differences. Habitat composition of individual home ranges was used to classify animals. If the percentage of forest within a home range exceeded 50% the individual was classified as a ‘forest type’ raccoon dog. If the percentage of forest habitats within a home range was less than 5%, the share of pastureland was mean 81.82% ± 16.92 SD. Consequently the individual was classified as a ‘agrarian type’ raccoon dog. Neither habitat preference nor habitat selection process differed between the two ‘types’. Habitat use and preference is discussed with relation to the ability of the raccoon dog to expand its range towards Western Europe. Males spent noticeably more time (40.5% of the time ±11.7 SD) alone with the pups than females (16.4% of the time ±8.5 SD). Females had noticeably larger 95% kernel home ranges (98.24 ha ±51.71 SD) than males (14.73 ha ±8.16 SD) and moved much longer daily distances (7,368 m ±2,015 SD) than males (4,094 m ±2,886 SD) in six weeks postpartum. The raccoon dogs being studied left the breeding den in the 6th week after the birth of the pups. In situ video observation showed that the male carried prey to the den to provide the female and the litter with food. A clear division of labour took place among parents during the period in which the pups were nursed: males guarded the litter in the den or in close vicinity of it, while the females foraged to satisfy their increased energy requirements. There were relocations of 59 (43.4%) ear-tagged young racoon dogs and mean distance from marking point was 13.5 km ±20.1 SD. Dispersal mortality rate was 69.5% among young raccoon dogs. Most animals (55.9%) were recovered nearer than 5 km from the marking point, whereas only 8.5% relocations were recorded further than 50 km from the marking point. There was no difference in the distances of relocations between sexes. Most (53.7%) relocations of ear-tagged young raccoon dogs were in August and September and, only 34.1% were recorded from October to April. Hunting (55 %) and traffic (27 %) were the major mortality factors. Radio-collared young raccoon dogs generally dispersed between July and September. The mean natal home range size (MCP 100%) with and without excursions was 502.6 ha ±66.4 SD (n = 9) and 92.1 ha ±66.4 SD (n = 17), respectively. There were no differences between sexes in the month of dispersal. The direction of travel for dispersing animals appeared to be random, with distances from 0.5 km to 91.2 km. A highly flexible dispersing behaviour is certainly one of the reasons which contribute to the high expansion success of the species.

Between October 1999 and October 2003, 30 adult and 48 young (< 1 year) raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) were monitored using radio-telemetry in an area of North-East Germany which has been occupied by this invasive alien species since the early 1990s. Additionally, three pairs of raccoon dogs were observed by continuous radio-tracking during the first six weeks after parturition in 2003. Furthermore 136 raccoon dog pubs were ear-tagged between June 1999 and August 2006. No adult animals dispersed from the area during the study period and home ranges tended to be used for several years, probably for life. The average annual home range size, calculated using 95% fixed kernel, was 382.2 ha ± 297.4 SD for females (n = 30 seasonal home ranges) and 352.4 ha ± 313.3 SD for males (n = 32 seasonal home ranges). Paired raccoon dogs had home ranges of similar size, with pair mates sharing the same area all year round. Raccoon dogs occupied large core areas (85% kernel) covering 81.2% of their home ranges. The home ranges were at their smallest during the mating season. The slightly larger size of home ranges in winter suggests that, due to the temperate climate, raccoon dogs do not hibernate in Germany. Males and females formed a long-term (probably lifelong) pair bond. Same-sex neighbours ignored each other and even adjacent males/females showed neither preference nor avoidance. Thus, it can be assumed that the raccoon dog in Central Europe is monogamous without exclusive territories, based on the results of home range overlap analysis and interaction estimations. Habitat composition within home ranges and within the whole study area was almost equal. Although, percentage shares of farmland and meadow was 16.35% smaller and 12.06% higher within the home ranges, respectively. All nine habitat types (farmland, forest, settlement, water, meadows, maize fields, small woods, reeds and hedges) were used opportunistically by raccoon dogs. No significant, recognisable difference for habitat preferences between seasons was detected. Male and female raccoon dog showed equal habitat preference pattern. A comparison of active and inactive locations in different habitats found no remarkable differences. Habitat composition of individual home ranges was used to classify animals. If the percentage of forest within a home range exceeded 50% the individual was classified as a ‘forest type’ raccoon dog. If the percentage of forest habitats within a home range was less than 5%, the share of pastureland was mean 81.82% ± 16.92 SD. Consequently the individual was classified as a ‘agrarian type’ raccoon dog. Neither habitat preference nor habitat selection process differed between the two ‘types’. Habitat use and preference is discussed with relation to the ability of the raccoon dog to expand its range towards Western Europe. Males spent noticeably more time (40.5% of the time ±11.7 SD) alone with the pups than females (16.4% of the time ±8.5 SD). Females had noticeably larger 95% kernel home ranges (98.24 ha ±51.71 SD) than males (14.73 ha ±8.16 SD) and moved much longer daily distances (7,368 m ±2,015 SD) than males (4,094 m ±2,886 SD) in six weeks postpartum. The raccoon dogs being studied left the breeding den in the 6th week after the birth of the pups. In situ video observation showed that the male carried prey to the den to provide the female and the litter with food. A clear division of labour took place among parents during the period in which the pups were nursed: males guarded the litter in the den or in close vicinity of it, while the females foraged to satisfy their increased energy requirements. There were relocations of 59 (43.4%) ear-tagged young raccoon dogs and mean distance from marking point was 13.5 km ±20.1 SD. Dispersal mortality rate was 69.5% among young raccoon dogs. Most animals (55.9%) were recovered nearer than 5 km from the marking point, whereas only 8.5% relocations were recorded further than 50 km from the marking point. There was no difference in the distances of relocations between sexes. Most (53.7%) relocations of ear-tagged young raccoon dogs were in August and September and, only 34.1% were recorded from October to April. Hunting (55 %) and traffic (27 %) were the major mortality factors. Radiocollared young raccoon dogs generally dispersed between July and September. The mean natal home range size (MCP 100%) with and without excursions was 502.6 ha ±66.4 SD (n = 9) and 92.1 ha ±66.4 SD (n = 17), respectively. There were no differences between sexes in the month of dispersal. The direction of travel for dispersing animals appeared to be random, with distances from 0.5 km to 91.2 km. A highly flexible dispersing behaviour is certainly one of the reasons which contribute to the high expansion success of the species.

This dissertation looks at the position of the unmarried father in South Africa with regard to obtaining access to his illegitimate child. The writer has focused on three distinct eras in South African family law: the position of unmarried fathers in terms of: the common law; Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act; and the Children's Act. The writer has further focused on a case study. This is to emphasis the difficulty which unmarried fathers have when attempting to go through the courts to have access to his child. In terms of South African common law, fathers of illegitimate children did not have any form of parental authority over the child. The mothers of illegitimate children have full parental authority over such children. Access in terms of South African common-law is seen as an incident of parental authority. Unmarried fathers nevertheless had the right to approach the high court to obtain access to their children, if the mother of the child refuses to allow the father to have such access. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, there was an overwhelming amount of applications brought by unmarried fathers in the high courts so as to obtain access to their illegitimate children. The case of Van Erk v Holmer 1992 (2) SA 636 (W) sparked victory for unmarried fathers when the learned judge held that all unmarried fathers of children have an inherent right of access to their children. This victory was short-lived. Subsequent case law and in particular the case of B v S 1995 (3) SA 571 (A) enforced the common law and held that unmarried fathers do not have an automatic right to their illegitimate children and that such fathers will have to apply to the high court for such access. Due to the increase in litigation in the late 1980's and early 1990's regarding a father's access to his child born out of wedlock the Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act commenced on 4 September 1998. The South African legislature adopted the approach taken in the case of B v S 1995 (3) SA 571 (A) and rejected the approach taken in the case of Van Erk v Holmer 1992 (2) SA 636 (W) ie the common law continued to remain the approach taken in South Africa. Legislators recognised that the approach taken in the Natural Fathers of Children Born out of Wedlock Act does not conform to the provisions of the African Charter of the Rights and the Welfare of the Child, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and equality and dignity provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. On 19 June 2006, the Children's Act was effected and will commence once promulgated in the Government Gazette. The writer then determines whether the Children's Act has in practice changed the position of the unmarried father. / JURISPRUDENCE / LLM