The prey selection and predatory behaviour of a single pride of lions (Panthera leo) was
studied in the 8500 ha Karongwe Game Reserve from 1999–2005. The study focused on the
difference between prey selection in the first three years when a two-male coalition was
present with a similar period thereafter when one of the males was removed and subadult
males dispersed from the pride. A total of 662 kills were recorded, with blue wildebeest
(Connochaetes taurinus), warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), waterbuck (Kobus
ellipsiprymnus), zebra (Equus burchelli) and impala (Aepyceros melampus) being the most
preferred species. Although there was preference for these species, and adult prey were
favoured, there was no significant selection for prey size, age or gender. There was a significant
difference in the number of kills made when the two-male coalition was present as
opposed to the single pride male. The solitary pride male spent significantly more time with
the females and shared most of their kills, and during this period dispersing subadult males
killed a substantial amount of prey when separated from the pride. Knowledge on predator
feeding behaviour is important for managers to assess impact on prey populations in
small reserves in order to manage them correctly, thereby preventing depletion of such
populations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:tut/oai:encore.tut.ac.za:d1000673 |
| Date | 12 November 2007 |
| Creators | Lehmann, MB, Funston, PJ, Owen, CR, Slotow, R |
| Publisher | Southern African Wildlife Management Association |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | |
| Rights | South African Wildlife Management Association |
| Relation | South African Journal of Wildlife Research |
Page generated in 0.0028 seconds