Behavioural adjustments of a large carnivore to access secondary prey in a human‐dominated landscape

Abstract

Summary 1.Conflict between people and large carnivores is an urgent conservation issue world-wide. Understanding the underlying ecological drivers of livestock depredation by large carnivores is greatly needed. 2. We studied the spatial, foraging and behavioural ecology of African lions Panthera leo in the Botswana Makgadikgadi ecosystem. This ecosystem comprises a protected area, characterized by high seasonal fluctuation in wild prey abundance, and adjacent lands, which are used for livestock grazing and characterized by stable livestock abundance, but also a risk of anthropogenic mortality. 3. Makgadikgadi lions preferentially preyed upon migratory wild herbivores when they were present; however, data from GPS (Global Positioning System) radiocollared lions revealed that the majority of the study lions did not follow the migratory herds but remained resident at one or other border of the park and switched to livestock (abundant and readily available), and to a lesser extent resident wild herbivores (relatively scarce), in periods of migratory wild herbivore scarcity. 4. Resident lions' use of space differed between periods of wild prey abundance and scarcity. These changes were likely to increase the frequency of encounter with their primary prey in periods of primary prey abundance and with livestock in periods of primary prey scarcity. 5. The risk of conflict with humans was a major driver of lion ecology in the human-dominated landscape surrounding the protected area. Resident lions generally avoided the close vicinity of cattle-posts. When they used such areas, they avoided temporal overlap with periods that humans were most active and travelled at high speed reducing the time spent in these areas. 6. Synthesis and applications. This study suggests that lions balance the benefits of accessing livestock with the costs associated with livestock raiding. Hence, reduction in livestock availability through effective livestock husbandry in periods of wild prey scarcity should lead to reduced conflict.

The cost of livestock lost to lions and other wildlife species in the Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya

“…Locals also directly hunt lion prey for subsistence or bush meat trade because of widespread poverty caused by a combination of factors including livestock predation. Decline in natural prey indirectly increases human lion conflict as lions turn to livestock as an alternative to wild prey (Valeix et al 2012). Conflicts caused by livestock predation lead to retaliatory killing of large carnivores (Polisar et al 2003;Treves and Karanth 2003;Kolowski and Holekamp 2006).…”

Secrets of Success in a Landscape of Fear: Urban Wild Boar Adjust Risk Perception and Tolerate Disturbance

“…In order to survive in urban landscapes with increased danger and disturbance, urban wildlife must become tolerant to harmless disturbance, hence urban wildlife adjusts behavior to secure sufficient shelter, breeding sites, and food (McKinney, 2002;Lowry et al, 2013). Urban wildlife needs to perceive spatio-temporal variation in risk (Valeix et al, 2012). The urban landscape of fear should correspond to landscape features such as roads, because of vehicle, and pedestrian traffic (Dowding et al, 2010;Bonnot et al, 2013;Lowry et al, 2013;Morelle et al, 2013;Thurfjell et al, 2015;Gray et al, 2016), sealed built-up areas (=areas with a high density of housing; Bonnot et al, 2013;Magle et al, 2014;Beninde et al, 2015;Gray et al, 2016) and open areas with high human activity.…”

Sympatric prey responses to lethal top-predator control: predator manipulation experiments

“…fear, competition) effects on sympatric mesopredator and herbivore species is well known [7][8][9], top-predators are often lethally controlled to protect livestock, managed game and some threatened fauna from top-predator predation (e.g. [19][20][21][22]). Lethal control of top-predators is typically achieved through trapping, shooting and/or poisoning in different parts of the world.…”