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| Lion Research in Africa Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Introduced |
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| Dr. Rob Slotow Research Programme www.nu.ac.za/nu/default.asp slotow@biology.und.ac.za Specific projects: Hluhluwe Lions This project is a component of the small lion population research programme. Fresh blood for the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Lions Four young male lions walking through the savanna, moving towards a group of females, and the opportunity to pass on their genes. One male lion, trying to stay alive, his brothers dead from Bovine Tuberculosis. The sad story of a coalition of lions in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park (HUP), KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Eight lions in HUP have recently died from Tb, and the lion population there has been showing a high susceptibility to a range of diseases for a number of years. Increasing reports from section rangers and tourists of sick lions caused Natal Parks Board (now KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Services) to initiate a study into the problem. All the lions in HUP originate from a founder stock of one male, and two or three females. The male wandered in to the area in the late 1950's, probably from Mocambique, and the females were introduced unofficially by rangers to the reserve from near the Kruger National Park in the 1960's. Initially the lions did very well in the area, and reached a population around 180. However, more recently they had low breeding success, and appeared sick. The staff suggested that this may be due to low genetic diversity in the population, resulting from related individuals breeding with each other. Byron Stein, from the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, recently completed a study on the genetics of the population. He compared the variability in protein forms of HUP lion with other studies, and found that they are extremely inbred, with low sperm counts, and presumably lower disease resistance. Lions are an intergral part of the HUP ecosystem and provide a boost to tourism in this largely rural part of the country, so a project was initiated to boost their genetic vigour. The best option may have been to remove all the existing lions from the reserve, and then to restock the reserve with new blood. However, there were both ethical and logistical problems with this, so the plan arose to introduce fresh blood to the existing population. Because lions are highly territorial and aggressive, such an introduction required careful planning. The most simple solution may have been to introduce a coalition of males into the park, and let them take over female prides and pass their genes into the population. The problem with this is that the existing males may have had something to say about this, and the resulting fights would have disrupted the social fabric of the population, with risky consequences. Fights among males could easily result in dispersion of the weaker lions from the reserve into the surrounding rural communities, with chances of death to livestock, and even risk to human lives. North West Parks and Tourism Board has the greatest experience working with lions in small populations, and has actively managed the lions in Pilanesberg National Park and Madikwe Game Reserve such that they could export lions to other reserves. Besides the successful introductions at these two parks, they have been instrumental in establishing small populations at Mabula, Welgevonden, and Entabeni, and in collaboration with the University of Natal, have provided advice to manage lions at Phinda, Makalali, and Ligwalagwala (most of the reserves with free-ranging introduced lions). As part of their continuing strong relationship with KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Services, North West Parks and Tourism board donated the lions for this project. |
Lions’ social ecology has
two fundamental systems: females form groups to defend their territory against other
females, and their cubs against intruding males; while males form groups to take over
groups of females from other males. Most typically, the females in a group are related to
each other, and the males in a group are related to each other. However, on occasion,
especially for males, they will join up with strangers. This behaviour provided insight into a possible management tool: Strange lions
could be drawn from a number of prides, and held together until they form a bond. This
would mean that a small group of colonists could contain the genes of a number of
bloodlines. Gus van Dyk, the ecologist at Pilanesberg, and others, have refined the
technique of bonding unrelated lions into new prides. Lions are captured separately, given
a long-term tranquilizer, and then placed together in a holding facility. They are
observed over the next few days in case of fighting, and normally form a bond that appears
as strong as the natural bonds between related individuals. To counter this a novel strategy has been developed. The second phase of the project would entail bonding outside females into three of the existing prides in Umfolozi section. If this is successful, they would breed with the local males, and their cubs would be raised with the local prides' and within 5 years the bloodlines would be mixing. Because females would be introduced, the disruption to the population should be minimal, and dispersal off the reserve should not occur. The only problem with this is that bonding females into existing prides has never been tried. Previously, bonded lions have been introduced to areas away from where they were born, and where there were no or few existing lions. The first phase of the project has now been completed. Six
lions, two brothers and two sisters from Pilanesberg, and a single male and female from
Madikwe were bonded together in the boma at Pilanesberg from 6 July 1999. On 28 July, they
were airlifted to Hluhluwe airstrip, and transferred by truck to a holding facility near
Maphumulo, just north of the Hluhluwe River. The lions will be released after two weeks,
and will hopefully make this area the core of their new range. Introduction of these lions
will have the added advantage of increasing the tourist potential of the area through
increased sightings of lions. |
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