Laikipia
Predator Project
- Principal
researchers: Dr Laurence Frank,
Dr Rosie Woodroffe.
- Co-workers:
Harry Wright, Aaron Wagner, Meredith
Evans, Morecai Ogada.
- Study
area: Laikipia District, Kenya.
- Date
started: 1998
- Academic
institutions: University of Cailifornia,
Berkeley, University of Warwick, Montana
State University.
- Affiliated
institutions: Mpala Research Centre,
Kenya Wildlife Services, Wildlife
Conservation Society, African Wildlife
Foundation, WWF, Berkeley Hyena Project,
US National Cancer Institute.
- Summary:
The project aims to conserve and manage
lions and other large carnivores such
as hyaenas and leopards in a livestock-producing
area. Basic ecological information
on the existing predator populations
are collected. Carnivores are radio-collared
to study movements, home range, group
composition, birth and mortality rates.
Important diseases, such as distemper,
rabies, and Feline Immunodeficiency
Virus are also studied. Patterns of
depredation and livestock husbandry
methods that reduce the impact of
predators on livestock are also investigated.
Results and recommendations will be
applicable throughout Africa where
predators still coexist with people
and livestock.
"Project
Life Lion"
- Principal
researcher: Dr Sarah Cleveland.
- Supervisor:
Prof Craig Packer.
- Co-workers:
Dr. Magai Kaare, Dr. Titus Malengeya.
- Study
area: Serengeti National Park,
Tanzania.
- Date
started: 1995
- Duration:
10 years
- Academic
institution: University of Edinburgh,
University of Minnesota.
- Affiliated
institutions: Institute of Zoology
(London); Tanzania Ministry of Agriculture;
Tanzania National Parks; Sokoinne
University of Agriculture (Morogoro,
Tanzania).
- Summary:
A program has been setup to vaccinate
domestic dogs in surrounding villages
to stop canine distemper at its source
and therefore protect lions and other
carnivore species in Serengeti National
Park.
Serengeti
Lion Project
- Principal
researcher: Prof Craig Packer.
- Co-workers:
Grant Hopcraft, Bernard Kissui, Dennis
Ikanda, Dominic Smith, Peyton West.
- Study
area: Ngorongoro Carter, Lake
Manyara National Park, Serengeti National
Park, Tanzania.
- Date
started: 1963 (Ngorongoro), 1966
(Serengeti)
- Duration:
ongoing
- Academic
institution: University of Minnesota.
- Affiliated
institutions: National Science
Foundation (US), Frankfurt Zoological
Society, Tanzanian Wildlife Research
Institute, Ngorongoro Conservation
Area Authority, Tanzanian National
Parks.
- Summary:
Long-term studies of African lions
focussing on a broad array of topics.
These include aspects of individual
survival and reproduction, population
trends, genetic health and variability,
epidemiology, and conservation.
Makgadikgadi
Lion Project
- Principal
researcher: Graham Hemson
- Supervisor:
Prof David Macdonald, Prof Gus Mills.
- Study
area: Makgadikgadi Pans National
Park and surrounds, Botswana.
- Date
started: 1998
- Duration:
4 years
- Academic
institution: Oxford University.
- Affiliated
institutions: Rufford Foundation,
Peoples Trust for Endangered Species,
Wildlife Cafe, Kalahari Conservation
Society, Conservation International.
- Summary:
Two main questions are addressed.
Firstly, how do lions impact upon
the local community through livestock
predation and how does the local community
impact upon the lion population through
retaliatory killing. Secondly, how
do the lions deal with the large fluctuations
in local prey distribution and density
in terms of dietary preference and
home range utilisation and what influence
does relative prey availability have
on the killing of livestock. Lions
are collared and followed a night.
Interviews are conducted with local
headman to assess the impact of lions
on livestock.
Kalahari
Transfrontier Lion Project
- Principal
researcher: Dr Paul Funston.
- Executive
Officers: Prof Gus Mills, Dr Mike
Knight, Dr Chris Thouless, Mr
Nelson Nakafela, Mr David Mosugelo.
- Project
Manager: Pat Fletcher.
- Research
Assistants: Eric Herrmann,
Phepa Babupi.
- Study
area: Kgalagadi Transfrontier
Park, South Africa & Botswana.
- Date
started: August 1998
- Affiliated
institutions: SA National Parks,
Botswana Department of Wildlife and
National Parks, Green Trust, Endangered
Wildlife Trust.
- Summary:
The project aims to gain a detailed
understanding of the population- and
socio-ecology of lions in the south
western Kalahari, to identify threats
to the population, and to make management
recommendations to ensure the future
conservation of the species. The establishment
of a cost-effective but reliable monitoring
and training program will enable present
and future personnel of the Kgalagadi
Transfrontier Park to acquire, on
a regular basis, pertinent data on
the population dynamics of the lions.
A strategy for the management of marauding
lions on the borders of the conservation
area will ensure the best control
of what may be a major cause of mortality
in the lion population. The project
is also likely to identify areas of
further research which could be incorporated
into an expanded program.
|
