Demographic characteristics of lion (Panthera leo) in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park

• Main Author: Beukes, Barend Otto
• Other Authors: Radloff, FGT
• Language: en
• Published: Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2017
• Subjects: Lion > South Africa > Kalahari Gemsbok National Park; Animal populations > South Africa > Kalahari Gemsbok National Park; Ecosystem management > South Africa > Kalahari Gemsbok National Park
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2346

Thesis (MTech (Nature Conservation))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. === Lions are threatened across their natural range. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP), comprising the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (KGNP; South Africa) and Gemsbok National Park (GNP; Botswana), is a stronghold for the species. Population size and demography of lions in the KGNP has been addressed in four historic studies. Studies in mid-1970 and 1990 reported a female biased population whereas in 2010 the sex structure was skewed towards males (56%). The bias in sex ratios towards males was first observed in cubs and sub-adults in 2001 and later, in 2010, throughout the population. Furthermore, in the 2010 assessment of the lion population, a smaller proportion of cubs (< 2 yrs) were observed in comparisons to the preceding studies (10% vs. ≥ 23%). The skew in age and sex structures that were observed in the KGNP led to concerns over the long-term sustainability of the greater KTP lion population. The lion population carries further risks associated with the stochastic, arid environment, in which the KTP lion population persists. Human-lion conflict on the borders of the KTP and anthropogenic alterations of the environment further threaten lion demographic stability.