Co‐occurrence of high densities of brown hyena and spotted hyena in central Tuli, Botswana

Vissia, Sander; Wadhwa, R.; Langevelde, Frank van

doi:10.1111/jzo.12873

Cited by 17 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…In addition, temporal overlap was not significantly affected by body size ratio. Our results fail to demonstrate low temporal overlap and actually found high temporal overlap between smaller and larger carnivore species (Ramesh et al 2017, Miller et al 2018, Chaudhary et al 2020, Vissia et al 2021). These results suggest that subordinate carnivores avoid dominant carnivores in space but not in time.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 76%

The effect of body size on co‐occurrence patterns within an African carnivore guild

Vissia

Langevelde

2022

Wildlife Biology

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Intraguild interactions among mammalian carnivores are important in shaping carnivore guild composition. Competing species may inhabit different areas and/or being active during different times to reduce the risk of aggressive interactions, but the role of body size in intraguild interactions within carnivore guilds remains largely unknown. We determined spatial and temporal co‐occurrence of small, medium‐sized and large carnivores of the carnivore guild in central Tuli, Botswana: lion Panthera leo, leopard Panthera pardus, spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta, brown hyena Parahyaena brunnea, black‐backed jackal Canis mesomelas, bat‐eared fox Otocyon megalotis, African wildcat Felis sylvestris lybica, African civet Civettictis civetta, honey badger Mellivora capensis and small‐spotted genet Genetta genetta. We used camera trap data over a two‐year period and quantified the degree of temporal and spatial overlap by comparing activity patterns and calculating Pianka's index respectively. Our results showed that temporal overlap in activity between all carnivore species was high, but complete overlap was possibly reduced by differences in peak activity periods. In addition, low to moderate levels of spatial overlap were found between the different carnivore species, supporting the idea that small carnivore species inhabit different areas than large species to reduce the risk of interference competition. Due to the possible strong competition amongst sympatric carnivores there is a need for more knowledge on co‐existence patterns for successful management and conservation of carnivore species, for example when carnivore species are (re)introduced in an area.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 76%

The effect of body size on co‐occurrence patterns within an African carnivore guild

Vissia

Langevelde

2022

Wildlife Biology

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“…The estimate of 0.219 spotted hyaenas per 100 km 2 was much lower than previous studies in similar environments such as the Ngamiland District (Rich et al, 2019) and central Tuli, Botswana (Vissia et al, 2021), but similar to estimates from farmlands in the Tsauchab River Valley, Namibia (Fouché et al, 2020; Fig. 2).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…2). The highest recorded densities are from reserves in Namibia (Okonjima Nature Reserve; Edwards et al, 2019), South Africa (Kwandwe Nature Reserve; Welch & Parker, 2016), and the central Tuli block, Botswana (Vissia et al, 2021). These far exceed our density estimate (Supplementary Table 2), although assumptions about fence permeability may account for some of these differences (Williams et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimates of carnivore densities in a human-dominated agricultural matrix in South Africa

Faure

Swanepoel²,

Cilliers³

et al. 2021

Oryx

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Populations of carnivore species outside protected areas may be of considerable importance for conservation, as many protected areas do not provide sufficient space for viable populations. Data on carnivore population sizes and trends are often biased towards protected areas, and few studies have examined the role of unprotected areas for carnivore conservation. We used camera-trapping data and spatial capture–recapture models to estimate population densities for four sympatric carnivores: the African leopard Panthera pardus, spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta, brown hyaena Parahyaena brunnea and African civet Civettictis civetta in Platjan, a predominantly agricultural, mixed land-use system, South Africa. Mean densities per 100 km2 for the leopard were 2.20 (95% CI 1.32–3.68) and 2.18 (95% CI 1.32–3.61) for left and right flank data, respectively; spotted hyaena, 0.22 (95% CI 0.06–0.81); brown hyaena, 0.74 (95% CI 0.30–1.88); and African civet 3.60 (95% CI 2.34–5.57; left flanks) and 3.71 (95% CI 2.41–5.72; right flanks). Our results indicate that although densities are lower than those reported for protected areas, humans and predators coexist in this unprotected agricultural matrix. We suggest that increased conservation effort should be focused in such areas, to mitigate human–carnivore conflicts. Our study improves the knowledge available for carnivore populations on privately owned, unprotected land, and may benefit conservation planning.

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“…This contrasts with other studies that reported brown hyaena success to be negatively impacted by the presence of spotted hyaenas due to kleptoparasitism and direct mortality (Mills, 1990; Mills & Mills, 1982; Williams et al, 2020). However, recent research from Central Tuli, Botswana—a more comparable environment to the BVC than the formerly mentioned study areas—found high densities of both spotted and brown hyaenas (Vissia et al, 2021). This finding was attributed to high prey densities in the area, which is also a feature of the BVC, and may similarly explain why the prevalence of brown hyaenas was not negatively affected by lions or spotted hyaenas in our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Camera traps reveal a large population of brown hyaena on a fenced reserve in southern Zimbabwe

Gush¹,

Wijers

Comley

et al. 2022

Afr J Ecol

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Investigations into the demographics of cryptic carnivores such as the near‐threatened brown hyaena Parahyaena brunnea have been improved by recent developments in camera trap technology and survey methods. Here, we assess the population density and abundance of this species on the Bubye Valley Conservancy (BVC) in south‐west Zimbabwe, a largely unsurveyed portion of the brown hyaena's range. We estimated brown hyaena density from a camera trap survey across two sections of the BVC (namely Main Conservancy and Ripple Creek) using a spatially explicit capture‐recapture method from individually identifiable images. This resulted in population density estimates of 14.72 ± 0.99 per 100 km2 for the Main Conservancy and 6.39 ± 1.74 for the Ripple Creek. While similar results have been found in recent studies of small, fenced reserves in Southern Africa, to our knowledge, these high‐density findings are the first for a large (>1000 km2) fenced reserve. We estimated the brown hyaena population on the BVC to be in excess of 400 individuals. This considerable population size is likely due to the well‐protected nature of the reserve and the scavenging opportunities provided by the sympatric large carnivores on the BVC, suggesting that this is a key locale for the species' conservation.

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Co‐occurrence of high densities of brown hyena and spotted hyena in central Tuli, Botswana

Cited by 17 publications

References 48 publications

The effect of body size on co‐occurrence patterns within an African carnivore guild

The effect of body size on co‐occurrence patterns within an African carnivore guild

Estimates of carnivore densities in a human-dominated agricultural matrix in South Africa

Camera traps reveal a large population of brown hyaena on a fenced reserve in southern Zimbabwe

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