Magnitude, patterns and composition of wildlife roadkill in the Serengeti ecosystem, northern Tanzania

Lyamuya, Richard D.; Hariohay, Kwaslema Malle; Masenga, Emmanuel H.; Bukombe, John; Mwakalebe, Grayson; Mdaki, Maulid; Nkwabi, Ally K.; Fyumagwa, Robert D.

doi:10.1080/15627020.2021.1952896

Cited by 4 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The ecosystem harbors about 70 mammal species and more than 600 avifauna species and supports one of the largest herds of migrating ungulates and highest concentrations of large predators in the world (Lyamuya et al, 2021). High diversity of animal species is a function of diverse habitats ranging from riverine forests, swamps, kopjes, open grasslands and woodlands.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in the south-eastern part of the area is open grassland, the northern part is largely wooded, and the western region is a mix of open and wooded grassland with riverine forest. The open grassland zone receives rainfall typically below 600 mm per year (Lyamuya et al, 2021). In addition, the area receives bimodal rainfall, short rain (November-December) and torrential rain (March-May) seasons.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Road traversing protected areas facilitate transportation of goods and services to promote tourism and other benefits to conservation (Machado et al, 2015), but if not well managed can create some negative impacts such as wildlife roadkills, which is a leading source of vertebrate mortality worldwide (Arévalo et al, 2017;Meza-Joya et al, 2019;Lala et al, 2021;Lyamuya et al, 2021) that need to be considered beside the benefits that tourism can bring (revenues, jobs, economic support for conservation, poverty reductions, etc) in different protected areas. However, few reports have focused on wildlife-vehicle collisions, which often have resulted in mortality of different wildlife species in many protected areas worldwide (Drews, 1995;D'Amico et al, 2015;Braz and Franc, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Also, it had been previously found that roadkill is a serious threat to animal populations, and has the potential to drive threatened populations to extinction (Cook and Blumstein, 2013). Wildlife-vehicle collisions are reported to be the primary cause of death for Cape hare (Lepus capensis) among mammals and helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) among avifauna (Lyamuya et al, 2021). The dominance of mammals as a major roadkill taxon has also been recorded in several other studies and their difference across studies may be related to local patterns in vertebrate diversity (Lala et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to determine mortality on wildlife population caused by roadkill, counts have been used across seasons and years in protected areas (Behera and Borah, 2010;Braz and Franc, 2016). Several studies on roadkill in Tanzania have reported on the occurrence of dead animals on the roads (Kioko et al, 2015a,b;Lyamuya et al, 2016Lyamuya et al, , 2021Njovu et al, 2019;Nkwabi et al, 2018), however, none has indicated the influence of body sizes and diet preference of mammalian species. Therefore, this study aimed at bridging this gap by documenting the patterns of mammalian roadkill of different body sizes among different mammal species in the Serengeti ecosystem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Patterns of mammalian roadkill in the Serengeti ecosystem, northern Tanzania

Richard¹,

Evaline²,

Kwaslema³

et al. 2022

Int. J. Biodivers. Conserv.

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Roads that traverse through protected areas if not well managed can have adverse impact on wildlife such as road-kills which is of global conservation concern. Though mammalian road-kills have been reported in different protected areas worldwide, very little information on the problem is available in the Serengeti ecosystem. This study employed both cross sectional observation and opportunistic encounter methods to determine the patterns of mammalian road-kills along the existing gravel road networks in the area. The results indicated that 29 mammals with encounter rates of 0.016 animals/kilometer including herbivores (75.9%), carnivores (13.8%) and omnivores (10.3%) were found killed more frequently on good roads, probably because of over speeding behavior by drivers. Mammals with small body sizes (<10.0 kg, 44.8%) predominantly Cape hares (Lepus capensis, 31.0%) and Thomson gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii, 27.6%) were most frequently killed probably because they are less avoided by motorists than larger mammals; and also, smaller mammals move slowly in crossing the roads than larger mammals, which increases the chances of being hit by vehicles. Cape hares and Thomson gazelles are more abundant species in the Serengeti and their behavior of foraging on road verges and frequently crossing roads to access resources in the area is additional risk. The study findings recommend for high penalties to over speeding drivers and placing wildlife warning signs on the roadside, and education to drivers to change behaviour and reduce road-kills.

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Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Patterns of mammalian roadkill in the Serengeti ecosystem, northern Tanzania

Richard¹,

Evaline²,

Kwaslema³

et al. 2022

Int. J. Biodivers. Conserv.

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Three decades of wildlife-vehicle collisions in a protected area: Main roads and long-distance commuting trips to migratory prey increase spotted hyena roadkills in the Serengeti

Naciri

Planillo

Gicquel

et al. 2023

Biological Conservation

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Vertebrate road kills on State Highway 26 in Khandwa Forest Division, central India

Husain

Mehta

2023

J. Threat. Taxa

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The road network is spreading rapidly in human dominated as well as forested areas in India. Roads passing through forested areas are known to negatively impact wildlife populations by contributing to wildlife-road kills besides causing habitat fragmentation, soil erosion, and disruption of gene flow. This paper documents encounters of wildlife road kills on the State Highway 26 (SH 26) passing through the forested area of Khandwa Territorial Forests in central India. Between October 2015 and June 2017 and from November 2021 to June 2022 we collected opportunistic data on wildlife mortalities on SH 26. We recorded 61 wildlife mortalities on a stretch of 34 km of SH 26. Of the road kills encountered, 71% were birds, 21% were mammals, and 8% were herpetofauna. Highest among bird kills were members of nightjars (Caprimulgidae) (26%) and owls (Strigidae) (23%). Among owls, we recorded two road kills of the endangered Forest Owlet Athene blewitti and individuals of five other owl species. Among other taxa, road-hits of Jungle Cat, Indian Palm Civet, Golden Jackal, Central Indian Langur, and a few snakes were recorded. Most bird kills on the road were recorded in February while the highest number of mammal and herpetofauna kills were recorded in the month of November. We report that the land use around the road and species trait contribute to vulnerability of a species to road-hit. Based on the frequency of road kills, we have identified seven hotspots of road kills on SH 26. Since road construction is one of the major mandates of the Government in India, it is suggested to carry out systematic environment impact assessment on existing and proposed roads to understand the patterns of spatio-temporal incidents of road kills. Planting of tall trees and installation of speed bumps and signboards to alert drivers should be planned at the initial stage of road construction. If appropriate mitigation measures to prevent wildlife mortalities are incorporated while the road is being constructed, it may be possible to bridge the gap between development and conservation.

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Magnitude, patterns and composition of wildlife roadkill in the Serengeti ecosystem, northern Tanzania

Cited by 4 publications

References 35 publications

Patterns of mammalian roadkill in the Serengeti ecosystem, northern Tanzania

Patterns of mammalian roadkill in the Serengeti ecosystem, northern Tanzania

Three decades of wildlife-vehicle collisions in a protected area: Main roads and long-distance commuting trips to migratory prey increase spotted hyena roadkills in the Serengeti

Vertebrate road kills on State Highway 26 in Khandwa Forest Division, central India

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