Carnivore Project Launched in AWF's Kazungula

Gosiame Neo-Mahupeleng, a native of northern Botswana, joined AWF in December of 2002 and has recently launched a project studying large carnivores in AWF's Kazungula Heartland. His research will focus in Chobe National Park in northeastern Botswana and in the eastern Caprivi area of Namibia. This project was created with the support of the Behrman family who donated funds in memory of Darryl Behrman.

The land use system in Chobe National Park, the first established park in Botswana, differs significantly from the Caprivi in Namibia. Chobe National Park is a protected area while the Caprivi is a subsistence and mixed agriculture area. The two are divided by the Chobe River. The project has been extended into Namibia because predators have been found disrupting cattle ranching on Namibian farms and damaging crops and property.

The goal of Gosiame's research is to conserve the predator populations in their natural state. The project concentrates on lions and spotted hyenas and focuses on distribution - past and present (mainly in Caprivi)- movements of prides, packs and individuals, habitat preferences, demography-population size, age and sex structure, and economic impact on livestock. Materials used for research are questionnaires, radio telemetry, spoor counts, calling stations and individual follows.

The density of lions within Chobe National Park, has been calculated at 37 individuals per 100 square kilometers. This density is as high as the density in the Ngorongoro Crater! There are 30 adult females and three adult males that rule a targeted area along the Zambezi waterfront in Chobe. These lions are therefore very important to waterfront ecology and also tourism in the park.

Four main prides of lions have claimed territory by the river in a hunting zone. Problems created by competition for prey between these groups rarely exists during the dry season because all wildlife comes to the river for water and with abundant food each lion pride can appropriately distance themselves from each other. However, during the wet season, prey is more dispersed which makes hunting more difficult. Therefore, there is more competition causing lion territories to overlap.

Previous studies conducted by Gosiame, which used satellite imagery and VHF radio collars, discovered that lions prefer to reside in areas along the river where the older trees have been damaged by elephants passing thus converting the landscape to shrub land. The smaller broken trees allow lions to hide and easily maneuver their way through the brush to capture prey.

Studies have shown that the average male dominates a pride and a territory for two to three years. At the Chobe waterfront, two male lions, who are unrelated, have dominated for the last six years and the whole population is now related to the two males. Gosiame has posed a few questions concerning these two male lions: Have they become successful due to the strength they have gained from good hunting, enabling them to fight off other competitors? Or, are human impacts on the landscape making it difficult for young adult males to arrive at the Chobe waterfront to continue breeding and roaming their new territory?

Gosiame and his team of researchers look at lion genetics by shooting tipped veterinary darts that take a piece of tissue then fall away from the lion. DNA tests have been conducted and show that there is a high amount of interbreeding within the population, such as, nephews with aunts and fathers with daughters. Gosiame states that genetic diversity is important to sustain a healthy population and the gene pool of this lion population could be in jeopardy. But, no one really knows to what extent this could be abnormal.

The ecological data gathered will serve as a baseline to determine the effects of management and conflict on distribution, social behavior and population structure of key predators. By achieving this, AWF can ensure the survival of healthy predators through adapted management practices, and the positive and negative relationships between predators, humans, and livestock will be better understood.