Do pastoralist cattle fear African lions?

Oikos ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacalyn M. Beck ◽  
Remington J. Moll ◽  
Bernard M. Kissui ◽  
Robert A. Montgomery
Keyword(s):  
Nature ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 428 (6979) ◽  
pp. 175-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karyl Whitman ◽  
Anthony M. Starfield ◽  
Henley S. Quadling ◽  
Craig Packer
Keyword(s):  

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1388
Author(s):  
Ted Friend ◽  
Giulia Corsini ◽  
Vincent Manero ◽  
Raffaella Cocco

The documentation of diurnal patterns in body temperature in lions could be important because disruption of circadian patterns can be a useful measure of distress. This study quantified changes in body temperature of seven African lions (Panthera leo) at 5 min intervals during cold conditions from noon until the ingested body temperature loggers were expelled the next day. Thirteen loggers were fed to 11 lions during their daily noon feeding, while ambient temperatures were also recorded using six data loggers. The lions had continuous access to their dens and exercise pens during the day but were restricted to their heavily bedded dens that also contained a heat lamp from 23:00 until 08:00 the next day. Body temperatures averaged 37.95 ± 0.42 °C at 15:50, and 36.81 ± 0.17 °C at 06:50 the next day, 30 min before the first loggers passed from a lion, and were significantly different (t-test, t = 8.09, df = 6, p < 0.0003). The mean duration for the time of passage was 22 ± 2.69 (h ± SD), so future studies using the noninvasive feeding of temperature loggers need to consider that time frame.


2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 31-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Molia ◽  
B.B Chomel ◽  
R.W Kasten ◽  
C.M Leutenegger ◽  
B.R Steele ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 1469-1482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas M. Fountain‐Jones ◽  
Craig Packer ◽  
Jennifer L. Troyer ◽  
Kimberly VanderWaal ◽  
Stacie Robinson ◽  
...  

Mammal Review ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 254-260
Author(s):  
Emma J. Dunston ◽  
Jackie Abell ◽  
Rebecca E. Doyle ◽  
Deanna Duffy ◽  
Craig Poynter ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Samantha Watts

This article looks at the current international regime that pertains to the African lion, a species that needs adequate protection across its range (a range that does not adhere to state boundaries). This analysis comes at a time when threats such as habitat and prey loss, retaliatory killing, trophy hunting and trade, are all impacting the remaining populations of African lions. The species is in danger of rapid population decline and possible extinction in the near future. Two decades ago there was an abundance of African lions, roughly 100 000, on the continent. But at present there are less than 32 000, while some believe there to be as little as 15 000 left. This decline is mainly due to the threats noted above. African lions are currently listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. This listing is being contested by commentators who believe that the species now requires an "endangered" status. African lion populations, and the threats to the species, extend across state boundaries. Therefore, international law is of particular importance in providing conservation and protection measures to the species. Creating conservation obligations at a global level allows for more uniform action, implementation and enforcement of legislation at regional and local levels. Therefore this article looks at each threat to African lion populations in detail and then assesses the international legal regime pertaining to each of these threats, and whether that regime is adequate. The Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance are but some of the international instruments that are analysed. This article outlines the arguments that the international legal framework is not acceptable for the protection of the species, and addresses both the positive and negative aspects of this regime. It is found that the international legal regime for the African lion is in fact not effective in achieving the protection and survival of the species. Some changes are recommended, and the best way forward through an international legal lens is outlined. The security and viability of the African lion is uncertain, and legal protection of the species needs to be clear to start ensuring their survival in the future. With the increase in threats to the species and African lions already regionally endangered in some parts of Africa, it is obvious that some legal changes need to be made to ensure greater protection of the African lion at an international level.


Parasitology ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 407-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. M. MÜLLER-GRAF ◽  
M. E. J. WOOLHOUSE ◽  
C. PACKER

Infection with the cestode Spirometra spp. was studied in 2 populations of lions in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, East Africa. These 2 lion populations lived in different habitats and were known to differ genetically: lions in the Serengeti were outbred, whereas lions in the Ngorongoro Crater were inbred. Faecal samples were collected from 112 individually known lions between March 1991 and November 1992. Over 60% of lions were infected and the median intensity of infection was 975 eggs per g of faeces. The distribution of egg counts was overdispersed. There was variability through time, though this was unrelated to seasons delimited by rainfall. There were no significant differences in levels of infection between age classes; cubs less than 9 months were already heavily infected. Sex and reproductive status did not have a significant effect. However, there were significant differences in intensities of infection between the Crater and the Serengeti populations – Spirometra spp. showed a higher level of infection intensity in the Crater population – with some variation between prides within these populations. Allozyme heterozygosity scores were available for a subset of 28 lions but were unrelated to levels of Spirometra infection. It was not possible to ascribe differences in levels of parasite infection to genetic rather than ecological factors.


2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1745) ◽  
pp. 4206-4214 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Maas ◽  
D. F. Keet ◽  
V. P. M. G. Rutten ◽  
J. A. P. Heesterbeek ◽  
M. Nielen

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis , is a disease that was introduced relatively recently into the Kruger National Park (KNP) lion population. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV ple ) is thought to have been endemic in lions for a much longer time. In humans, co-infection between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus increases disease burden. If BTB were to reach high levels of prevalence in lions, and if similar worsening effects would exist between FIV ple and BTB as for their human equivalents, this could pose a lion conservation problem. We collected data on lions in KNP from 1993 to 2008 for spatio-temporal analysis of both FIV ple and BTB, and to assess whether a similar relationship between the two diseases exists in lions. We found that BTB prevalence in the south was higher than in the north (72 versus 19% over the total study period) and increased over time in the northern part of the KNP (0–41%). No significant spatio-temporal differences were seen for FIV ple in the study period, in agreement with the presumed endemic state of the infection. Both infections affected haematology and blood chemistry values, FIV ple in a more pronounced way than BTB. The effect of co-infection on these values, however, was always less than additive. Though a large proportion (31%) of the lions was co-infected with FIV ple and M. bovis , there was no evidence for a synergistic relation as in their human counterparts. Whether this results from different immunopathogeneses remains to be determined.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon A. Black

The lions of North Africa were unique in ecological terms as well as from a human cultural perspective and were the definitive lions of Roman and Medieval Europe. Labelled “Barbary” lions, they were once numerous in North Africa but were exterminated by the mid-20th century. Despite subsequent degeneration of the Atlas Mountain ecosystem through human pressures, the feasibility of lion reintroduction has been debated since the 1970s. Research on the long-established captive lion collection traditionally kept by the sultans and kings of Morocco has enabled selective breeding coordinated across Moroccan and European zoos involving a significant number of animals. Molecular genetic research has recently provided insights into lion phylogeny which, despite previous suggestions that all lions share recent common ancestry, now indicates clear distinctions between lions in North, West, and Central Africa, the Middle East, and India versus those in Southern and Eastern Africa. A review of the evolutionary relevance of North African lions highlights the important challenges and opportunities in understanding relationships between Moroccan lions, extinct North African lions, and extant lion populations in India and West and Central Africa and the potential role for lions in ecosystem recovery in those regions.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document