Original Research

Notes on wild dog Lycaon pictus and lion Panthera leo population trends during a drought in the Kruger National Park

M.G.L. Mills
Koedoe | Vol 38, No 1 | a309 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v38i1.309 | © 1995 National Parks Board
Submitted: 25 August 1995 | Published: 25 August 1995

About the author(s)

M.G.L. Mills, National Parks Board, South Africa

Full Text:

PDF (1MB)

Abstract

Wild dog Lycaon pictus and lion Panthera leo populations in the Kruger National Park appeared to undergo an increase during a drought period in the early 1990s. Newly established packs, high adult survival and pup productivity contributed to an increase in the wild dog population and evidence for high predation success during the height of the drought is presented. An increase in the lion density between 1989 and 1993 on the northern basalt plains, as well as changes in the structure of the population, seem to be related to changes in prey populations, particularly to a decline in numbers and condition of buffalo Syncerus cafer.

Keywords

No related keywords in the metadata.

Metrics

Total abstract views: 6214
Total article views: 4223

 

Crossref Citations

1. Disentangling the effects of temperature and rainfall on the population dynamics of Kalahari meerkats
Jack Thorley, Chris Duncan, Dave Gaynor, Marta B. Manser, Tim Clutton-Brock
Oikos  vol: 2025  issue: 5  year: 2025  
doi: 10.1111/oik.10988

2. Hot dogs: High ambient temperatures impact reproductive success in a tropical carnivore
Rosie Woodroffe, Rosemary Groom, J. Weldon McNutt, Ken Wilson
Journal of Animal Ecology  vol: 86  issue: 6  first page: 1329  year: 2017  
doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.12719

3. African Large Carnivore Population Changes in Response to a Drought
Sam M. Ferreira, Pauli Viljoen
African Journal of Wildlife Research  vol: 52  issue: 1  year: 2022  
doi: 10.3957/056.052.0001

4. Climate Effects on Prey Vulnerability Modify Expectations of Predator Responses to Short- and Long-Term Climate Fluctuations
Aïssa Morin, Simon Chamaillé-Jammes, Marion Valeix
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution  vol: 8  year: 2021  
doi: 10.3389/fevo.2020.601202

5. Lion (Panthera leo) demographics in the south‐western Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Sam M. Ferreira, B. Otto Beukes, Tim C. Haas, Frans G. T. Radloff
African Journal of Ecology  vol: 58  issue: 3  first page: 348  year: 2020  
doi: 10.1111/aje.12728

6. Testing Predictions of the Prey of Lion Derived From Modeled Prey Preferences
MATT W. HAYWARD, JOHN O'BRIEN, MARKUS HOFMEYR, GRAHAM I. H. KERLEY
The Journal of Wildlife Management  vol: 71  issue: 5  first page: 1567  year: 2007  
doi: 10.2193/2006-264

7. Ambient temperature provides an adaptive explanation for seasonal reproduction in a tropical mammal
J. W. McNutt, R. Groom, R. Woodroffe
Journal of Zoology  vol: 309  issue: 3  first page: 153  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1111/jzo.12712

8. Diet choice of large carnivores in northern Cameroon
Thomas Breuer
African Journal of Ecology  vol: 43  issue: 3  first page: 181  year: 2005  
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2005.00562.x

9. Wildlife tuberculosis in South African conservation areas: Implications and challenges
A.L. Michel, R.G. Bengis, D.F. Keet, M. Hofmeyr, L.M. de Klerk, P.C. Cross, A.E. Jolles, D. Cooper, I.J. Whyte, P. Buss, J. Godfroid
Veterinary Microbiology  vol: 112  issue: 2-4  first page: 91  year: 2006  
doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2005.11.035

10. Wild Dog Demography in Hluhluwe‐Umfolozi Park, South Africa
Ant Maddock
Conservation Biology  vol: 13  issue: 2  first page: 412  year: 1999  
doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1999.013002412.x

11. Diet choice of large carnivores in northern Cameroon
Thomas Breuer
African Journal of Ecology  vol: 43  issue: 2  first page: 97  year: 2005  
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2005.00551.x

12. Factors affecting juvenile survival in African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in Kruger National Park, South Africa
U. K. Buettner, H. T. Davies‐Mostert, J. T. Du Toit, M. G. L. Mills
Journal of Zoology  vol: 272  issue: 1  first page: 10  year: 2007  
doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00240.x

13. Inbreeding and density‐dependent population growth in a small, isolated lion population
M. Trinkel, P. Funston, M. Hofmeyr, D. Hofmeyr, S. Dell, C. Packer, R. Slotow
Animal Conservation  vol: 13  issue: 4  first page: 374  year: 2010  
doi: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2009.00344.x

14. Assessing the impact of feline immunodeficiency virus and bovine tuberculosis co-infection in African lions
M. Maas, D. F. Keet, V. P. M. G. Rutten, J. A. P. Heesterbeek, M. Nielen
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences  vol: 279  issue: 1745  first page: 4206  year: 2012  
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.1503

15. A struggle to survive: Guild hierarchy predicts drought benefit among large carnivores
Nikki Balme, Zoe Woodgate, Luke Hunter, Guy Balme
Journal of Animal Ecology  vol: 95  issue: 5  first page: 734  year: 2026  
doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.70182

16. Factors Affecting the Density and Distribution of Wild Dogs in the Kruger National Park
Michael G. L. Mills, Martyn L. Gorman
Conservation Biology  vol: 11  issue: 6  first page: 1397  year: 1997  
doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1997.96252.x

17. Droughts reshape apex predator space use and intraguild overlap
Leigh West, Kasim Rafiq, Sarah J. Converse, Alan M. Wilson, Neil R. Jordan, Krystyna A. Golabek, J. Weldon McNutt, Briana Abrahms
Journal of Animal Ecology  vol: 93  issue: 11  first page: 1785  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.14192