Changes in lion (Panthera leo) home range size in Waza National Park, Cameroon

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThe spatial ecology of Africa lions (Panthera leo) was studied from 2007 to 2009 in Waza National Park, Cameroon, by equipping individual lions with GPS/VHF radio-collars. Mean home range estimates using 100% minimum convex polygons (MCP) and 95% kernel-density estimation (KDE) were respectively 1015 km 2 and 641 km 2 . The lions spent a considerable amount of time out of the park during the study period (21%), resulting in significantly larger wet season home ranges than in the hot dry season when they were largely within the park. Time spent outside of the park coincided with increased livestock predation, especially by males. The seasonal variation observed in home range appeared to be mainly due to prey dispersal, flooding and migrating livestock. Mean home range size was observed to have increased by 58.6% within the last decade. This observed increase in home range could possibly be attributed to recent declines in wild prey abundance and also, may be indicative of a trend of general degradation of the park due to intense human pressure. The change observed in lions' ranging behaviour was remarkable, with lions crossing the highway parallel to the park to the Cameroon-Nigerian borders. Measures to restore the integrity of the park are urgently needed, which could include the construction of a partial fence along the western boundary of the park to prevent lions moving across the parallel highway.

Spatiotemporal Genetic Diversity of Lions

“…If unobstructed by geographic or artificial barriers, a male home range can be hundreds to thousands of km 2 (52)(53)(54) and can span different habitats (55)(56)(57). However, the original range of the lion has been severely reduced as a direct result of the growing human population (24) and changes in land-use, such as expansion of large-scale cultivation and increased movement of livestock into protected areas (58)(59)(60). As lion habitat has become more fragmented and groups of prides become more isolated, gene flow is restricted, and subpopulations become more genetically distinguishable.…”

Population estimates of large carnivores and their conflict with humans in East Africa and India

“…This would enable rapid responses to any lions that stray into one of the 11 fishing enclaves inside the QECA, or the cattle communities on the edge of the protected area.2. Robust assessment of prey and snaring -the enlarged lion movements recorded in this study are a splitting image ofTumenta et al (2013) who showed a similar expansion of home ranges in WAZA, Cameroon before the subsequent population collapse of African lions there. Lions have already become functionally extinct in Pian…”

“…Through the comparison of these parameters we could compare these data to the historic study of Mudumba et al 2015 as the depletion of prey, modifications to habitat or direct persecution (eg. , Tumenta et al 2013. Additionally, the relationship between prey availability, movement and density in large felids generally follows a concave-up, decreasing relationship.…”

“…The lions of Kafue National Park, Zambia (Midlane 2014), and Waza National Park, Cameroon are two examples of large felid populations that have experienced significant edge effects. In Waza, African lions on average expanded their home-range sizes by 59% in just a ten-year period in response to widespread and intense bush meat poaching (Tumenta et al 2013). As movements increased, lions were more exposed to human communities living on the edge of the park, increasingly depredated stock and suffered increased rates of retaliatory killings by villagers de longh 2005, Tumenta et al 2013).…”

“…This high mortality is directly comparable to the Waza National Park in Cameroon, a similar-sized National Park (1700 km 2 ) where the estimated annual removal of six lions led to a population collapse . During this collapse, the lions in Waza also increased their home range size (59% increase in range size over a ten-year period), which the authors attributed to poaching of lion prey (Tumenta et al 2013). Treves et al (2009) used predator carrying capacity models to show that if preferred lion prey in the QECA recovered to pre-conflict levels, the region could support approximately 500 lions.…”