The reproductive biology of a pride of lions (Panthera leo) was studied on the 8500 ha
Karongwe Game Reserve from 1999 to 2005. Over this period, the pride consisted of between
four and 11 lions with a paired coalition of adult males during the first three years and a single
adult male for the next three years.We recorded shorter than normal interbirth intervals, high
birth rates of 1.3 cubs/lioness/year, very high cub survival rates, and subadults leaving the
pride at young ages. This translated into substantially faster growth rates than are typical in
large lion populations in ecologically similar circumstances such as Kruger National Park, but
are similar to those of lions in Serengeti National Park. These demographic characteristics
were probably induced initially by a lack of intense intraspecific competition and high prey
availability, but population stability was maintained through the removal of young subadults
by management. Interestingly, variability in conception rates between lionesses resulted in
lower growth rates than have been found in other similar reintroduced lion populations. These
demographic traits characterize many of the small reintroduced lion populations, and call for
appropriate management to avoid the consequences of high predator densities.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:tut/oai:encore.tut.ac.za:d1000674 |
| Date | 31 July 2008 |
| Creators | Lehmann, MB, Funston, PJ, Owen, CR, Slotow, R |
| Publisher | African Zoology |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | |
| Rights | African Zoology |
| Relation | African Zoology Journals |
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