Juvenile survival and population structure of blue wildebeest and warthogs in the Central Region of the Kruger National Park during the mid-summer drought of 1988/89

Abstract

The survey was undertaken to investigate juvenile survival and population structure of blue wildebeest and warthogs during a mid-summer drought, and to gain sup- plementary data for a longer-term population monitoring programme. The per- centage of adult wildebeest cows with juveniles was lower than normal for the time, but was not commensurate with a sharp decline in the population. Warthogs did not tolerate the drought as well as wildebeest and experienced a larger reduction in juvenile recruitment, albeit much less than the 80-90 losses of piglets recorded in the more severe drought of late 1982.