EXPEDITION REPORT - Biosphere Expeditions

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EXPEDITION REPORT Studying cheetahs, leopards and brown hyaenas of the African savannah bushland, Namibia. Expedition dates: 3 September - 3 November 2007 Report published: November 2008 Authors: Birgit Förster & Harald Förster Okatumba Wildlife Research Matthias Hammer (editor) Biosphere Expeditions 2 � Okatumba Wildlife Research www.okatumba.de
Abstract Namibia is thought to hold one third of the global cheetah population and it is one of the few African countries where six species of large carnivores occur. About 40% of the total area in Namibia is used for commercial livestock farming, 40% are communal areas and 20% are national parks and restricted areas. Much of the wildlife lives outside protected areas on private farmland. Namibian farmland, therefore, has a crucial role to play in the sustainable management and conservation of the country’s wildlife in general and cheetahs in particular. Despite years of research by several organisations, so far no reliable population estimates for large carnivores on Namibian farmland exist. The million-dollar question “How many cheetahs does Namibia have?” still needs to be answered. This study aimed to compute indices that reflect true population density, but found that cheetah ecology on Namibian farmland generally makes it difficult to use spoor counts as an indirect sampling method. Whilst it is relatively easy to determine how many different individuals range over a specific area, it is difficult to estimate true population density. The cheetah’s relative genetic monomorphism is potentially important to its conservation, but to date there is no convincing evidence that the health status and reproduction of wild populations are compromised. On the contrary, free-ranging cheetahs on Namibian farmland are healthy, reproducing well and sustain more youngsters through to adulthood than in East African national parks, where lions and spotted hyaenas frequently kill cheetah offspring. Free-ranging cheetah populations are chiefly regulated by extrinsic factors such as persecution by humans, rather than intrinsic factors such as low genetic variability. In this context continued education of local farmers to reduce human-wildlife conflict is an important component of large carnivore conservation. This report presents the results of the third expedition at Okomitundu study site, which took place from 3 September to 3 November 2007. Due to the arid climate at Okomitundu, its carrying capacity is lower than it was in the previous study sites (Omitara and Seeis). Furthermore, poaching activities are a serious threat at Okomitundu. These two factors together result in lower densities of potential prey animals at Okomitundu study site and therefore in lower densities of large carnivores, cheetahs in particular. Investigation of this habitat was very important to depart from the regional level and to gain reliable information on a more national scale. The problem of game poaching is serious, but quantification of exact game losses well nigh impossible and this study argues that effective control of poaching can only be achieved through professional anti-poaching units, one of which is now installed locally. Furthermore, game count data demonstrate that potential prey animals on open farmland react to environmental factors, whereas game densities within game-proof fenced areas do not change significantly. Game animals within this area can not move and they have to cope with the given conditions. As a result prey availability is maintained and large carnivores benefit from this. If the management of game-proof fenced areas is done well, such areas may be very suitable conservation tools for rare or endangered species in particular. 3 � Okatumba Wildlife Research www.okatumba.de
Page 1: EXPEDITION REPORT Expedition dates:
Page 5 and 6: Contents Abstract 3 Zusammenfassung
Page 7 and 8: 1.2. Research Area 7 � Biosphere
Page 9 and 10: 1.5. Local Scientists Birgit & Hara
Page 11 and 12: 1.9. Acknowledgements This expediti
Page 13 and 14: no lions, no spotted hyenas farmers
Page 15 and 16: The study site has a core area of a
Page 17 and 18: Okomitundu study site hosts a varie
Page 19 and 20: Due to persecution by humans, preda
Page 21 and 22: Immobilisation of the study animals
Page 23 and 24: All captured animals were immobilis
Page 25 and 26: In 2006 and 2007 the number of capt
Page 27 and 28: Counting Spoor Frequencies Every mo
Page 29 and 30: These data had to be collected at t
Page 31 and 32: Figure 2.5.3.b. Locations of cheeta
Page 33 and 34: Figure 2.5.3.e. Locations of cheeta
Page 35 and 36: per cheetah track. During the 2007
Page 37 and 38: Sadly one of the three cheetahs (F0
Page 39 and 40: Figure 2.5.3.k. Kernel home range (
Page 41 and 42: 2.6. Prey availability 2.6.1. Intro
Page 43 and 44: One route (A) within the game-proof
Page 45 and 46: Game densities in both parts of the
Page 47 and 48: Table 2.6.3.e. Total numbers of kud
Page 49 and 50: 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Number of KuduSi
Page 51 and 52: 2.7.2. Methodology During the exped
Page 53 and 54:
2.8. Carnivore Sightings 2.8.1. Int
Page 55 and 56:
Some field techniques such as check
Page 57 and 58:
After investigation of a third stud
Page 59 and 60:
2.9.5. Wildlife Management Before m
Page 61 and 62:
Cheetahs, leopards and other carniv
Page 63 and 64:
Estes, R.D. (1997) The Behavior Gui
Page 65 and 66:
O’Brien, S.J., Roelke, M. E., Mar
Page 67 and 68:
Appendix 2: List of birds at Okomit
Page 69 and 70:
Appendix 3: List of daily research
Page 71 and 72:
P.S.: My luggage was delivered on S
Page 73 and 74:
One big group led by Sibylla and Ke
Page 75 and 76:
24 September In the afternoon I dro
Page 77 and 78:
We called our scientist to release
Page 79:
28 October On Saturday morning Sian
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EXPEDITION REPORT - Biosphere Expeditions

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