CORRECT IDENTIFICATION OF LIVESTOCK LOSS

1. CORRECT IDENTIFICATION OF LIVESTOCK LOSS

2. WHY CONSERVE PREDATORS??? • Predators are indicator species, • demonstrating the health of an ecosystem • Control numbers and health of prey species • Valuable national resource to be protected • Generate income through ecotourism and trophy hunting

3. WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW??? • CORRECT CAUSE MUST BE INVESTIGATED • Theft • Poisonous plants • Disease • Predator

4. Predator Identification Tool

5. PREDATOR IDENTIFICATION TOOLS LION Hind Front LEOPARD Hind Front

6. INVESTIGATION • Killed or scavenged • Bite marks • Tracks • Carcass location / dragged?

7. APPROACHING A CARCASS • Scan whole area • Keep onlookers in a group to one side • Examine all tracks • Mark site of tracks • Front and back track sizes can differ • Record all information

8. Killed or scavenged? • Skin the neck • Look for bruising and bite marks

9. Big or small carcass / predator

10. Bite marks

11. Measurements • Cheetah 36 - 39 mm (2 fingers) • Leopard 40 – 46 mm (3 fingers) • Jackal 19 - 21 cm (3/4 - 1 finger) • Caracal 29 - 32 mm (1 ½ finger) • Spotted Hyena 47 - 58 mm (3 fingers) • Brown Hyena 47 – 58 mm (3 fingers) • Domestic dog 36 - 58 mm (3 fingers)

12. Bite marks on the carcassWidth, location

13. TRACKS • Dog • Cat • Dogs = nails • Dogs = straight at the back of the foot pad • Cats = no nails • Cats = W shape at the back of the foot pad

14. Cheetah / Leopard Cheetah Leopard

15. HOW THE CARCASS HAS BEEN EATEN • Long bones • Intestines • Internal organs • Remains • Covered / dragged

16. Cats Dogs • Usually ambush then chase prey. • Very clean killers, most will deliver a killing bite to the throat or back of the neck. Claw marks will be evident. Will chase down and bite prey animal as it runs. May result in messy kill with numerous bite marks all over the body. No claw marks.

17. Lion

18. Lion They are social, territorial animals and females often hunt together. A group of lions is capable of killing prey as large as cow or buffalo and a single lion can take down a wildebeest sized prey. They are mainly active at night and may take animals out in the veld and from poor kraals. They may eat the whole animal but the large bones will remain. Lion home ranges can be anywhere between 150 and 2000 Km2 2000 Km2 CCB farm 150 Km2

19. Leopard

20. Leopard They are solitary, territorial animals that hunt alone. They are excellent climbers and often hide their kills in trees. Leopards are capable of killing prey as large as wildebeest but rarely take fully grown cattle. They are usually nocturnal and will take unprotected livestock from poor kraals and out in the veld. 80 Km2 CCB farm Leopard home ranges are often between 30 and 80 Km2 30 Km2

21. Cheetah

22. Cheetah Female cheetah are often solitary but males may live in small groups. They may hunt together or alone. Cheetah are poor climbers and prefer open habitats. They usually take small to medium sized antelope species. There are most active during the morning and evening and usually involved in conflict out in the veld. They are not active at night. They generally kill by strangulation on the throat. Cheetah home ranges can be as small as 200 Km2 and as large as 1500 Km2 1500 Km2 CCB farm 200 Km2

23. African Wild Dog

24. African Wild Dog Wild dogs are social and live in packs. They hunt together and are capable of killing kudu sized prey. They can be a concern to farmers as can take fully grown cattle, however, they can be deterred by human presence They are most active during the morning and the evening and more likely to cause conflict out in the veld than in the kraal. Except when denning, African Wild Dogs are effectively nomadic some recorded ranges have been between 420 and 1300 Km2 CCB farm 1300 Km2 420 Km2

25. Brown hyena

26. Brown Hyena Brown hyena are most often solitary but males sometimes form small groups or clans. They are primarily scavengers but are capable of killing small antelope sized prey. They are active at night and may take very young livestock from poorly built kraals. Brown Hyena ranges have been recorded from approx. to over 900 Km2 CCB farm 170 Km2 900 Km2

27. Spotted hyena

28. Spotted Hyena Spotted hyena live in large groups called clans. They are scavengers and hunters capable of killing zebra sized prey. They are active at night and may take livestock from poorly built kraals. They are hunt similar to dog species and often only large bones will remain. Spotted Hyena ranges are also variable ranges of 40 to 1100 Km2 have been recorded 40 Km2 CCB farm 1100 Km2

29. Jackal

30. Jackal Jackal are social and often live in mated pairs, they are scavengers and hunters capable of killing small antelope sized prey. They usually hunt during the morning and evening and can take young livestock. Jackal territories can be small and are approximately 10 to 100 Km2 in area. 100 Km2 CCB farm 10 Km2

31. Domestic dog

32. Domestic Dog Dogs are social and if feral live in packs, they are scavengers and hunters capable of killing domestic livestock. They are often not effective killers and may injure a number of livestock without killing them. They can be active during the day and night. Dog ranges can be very small if they are near a reliable food source but feral dogs can range over 100 Km2 in area. 100 Km2 CCB farm 3 Km2

33. Less common conflict animals Caracal

34. Serval

35. African wild cat

36. Non - conflict animals Aardwolf

37. Bat eared fox

38. Aardvark

39. Honey Badger

40. IN SUMMARY • Be informed • Know your predators • Know your other animals • Strive to keep improving your livestock management • Participate in community efforts to find solutions to human/wildlife conflict

41. THREE SOLUTIONS TO LIVESTOCK LOSSES • MANAGEMENT • MANAGEMENT • MANAGEMENT YOU ARE THE MANAGER… YOU ARE THE SOLUTION