The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania is famous for its huge herds of migrating wildebeest, zebras and other ungulates. But these herds spend much of the year in neighbouring reserves where their survival depends on preserving the right conditions. The authors made a study of two of these reserves with disturbing results. The Maswa Game Reserve they found was seriously threatened by invading (illegal) settlement with a fast-growing population cultivating land and felling trees; in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area they report that the Maasai have taken to poaching, both for subsistence meat and for trophies to sell – skins, ivory and rhino horn. In both places the guards are so poorly equipped they can do little to stop poaching.
SUMMARYThe lions of Lake Manyara National Park were observed for 1 1/4 years. About 0.4 lions/km2 inhabited the park, a density nearly double that found in Nairobi National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. One group of lions occupied the southern half of the park; in the northern half, the range of two males included two distinct groups of lionesses each of which confined itself to its own area. The composition and changes in composition of each group are discussed. Buffalo were observed to kill a lion cub on three occasions, and elephant were seen to do so once. The lions' most important prey was buffalo, which comprised 62% of the kills, followed by zebra (18%) and impala (12%). Eighty‐one per cent. of the buffalo killed were males. Lions were seen in trees on 2/3 of the occasions on which they were encountered. Possible reasons for tree‐climbing are given.
SummaryA study on the conservation status of the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis, L.) in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania was undertaken in order to investigate recent allegations that this species is fast disappearing in the area. Comparison of census data on rhinos were made from 1958 to 1978 during which time there has been a notable steady decline in the mean population density mainly due to increased poaching pressure. Other factors that may have caused this fall are discussed. Urgent management measures to conserve the rhino population in the Ngorongoro Crater and the surrounding areas are recommended.RésuméUne étude sur I'état de la conservation des rhinocéros (Diceros bicornis, L.) dans le Cratére du Ngorongoro (Tanzanie) fut entreprise dans le but de vérifier de récentes affirmations concernant la disparition rapide de cette espéce dans la région. La comparaison de données de recensements de rhinos entre 1958 et 1978 fut faite; on constate durant cette période un manifeste et régulier déclin de la densité de population moyenne, attribuée principalement a I'augmentation de la pression de braconnage. D'autres facteurs ayant pu causer ce déclin sont discutés. Des mesures urgentes d'intervention pur conserver la population de rhinos dans le cratére du Ngorongoro et les régions périphériques sont recommandées.
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