This study aimed to determine the functional seasonal attributes for herbivores of the major habitats and landscapes of the Savuti-Mababe-Linyanti ecosystem (SMLE) of northern Botswana and how various herbivore species responded to this heterogeneity. Floodplain grasslands and dambo grasslands provided the only significant green forage and biomass during the late dry season, whereas short grasslands of the Mababe Depression provided the highest forage quality of all habitats during the wet season. The ability to provide reliable forage and drinking water in floodplain,swampand dambo grasslands attracted large concentrations of zebra and buffalo during the dry season, which was mediated by fire. Large concentrations of zebra were observed in mineral-rich grasslands of the Mababe Depression during the wet season, whereas buffalo were not observed in these open grassland landscapes in this season. Other herbivore species appeared to use the same landscapes year-round where lechwe were observed mainly in floodplain and swamp landscapes on the western edge of the Linyanti Swamps, while wildebeest and impala were observed in floodplains and adjacent woodlands near permanent water suggesting that these species had access to sufficient resources at a landscape scale. Thus various herbivore species responded differently to functional heterogeneity across seasons and scales.

Banding and deploying tracking devices are important techniques to study birds of conservation concern, but require that individuals can be safely and efficiently caught and handled. We describe the trapping techniques used to catch Ludwig's Bustards (Neotis ludwigii) in the Karoo, South Africa, for a satellite tracking programme aiming to better understand the movement biology of this poorly known and threatened bird. Trapping sites on transformed land used as congregation sites were difficult to locate for these nomadic and partially migratory birds, but six of nine prospective trapping trips were successful. Although labour-intensive, extensive deployment of leg nooses coupled with guide-lines to direct birds proved effective. We caught 12 bustards at four sites across the Karoo over 37 trapping days in 2010–2012. Success was male-biased, with only two females caught. Noose traps were safe, with no injuries to captured birds. However, in common with other studies, we encountered problems with capture myopathy after handling five bustards; two subsequently died and three recovered.We designed a ‘harnessing chair’ to reduce the risk of capture myopathy, but still encountered problems. We recommend noose traps with guide-lines to catch other large, wary birds in open environments where there is some predictability of habitat use,but caution against long handling times and trapping in extreme temperatures.

The purposes of the study were to describe the vocal repertoire of the Red-crested Korhaan, (Lophotis ruficrista) and the nature and intensity of male call rivalry during the breeding season. Many hours of field sound data were recorded and behavioural observations were recorded in the field. During the breeding season two or three adult male Red-crested Korhaans group together in close proximity to one another at established sites (∼2.4 ha), calling simultaneously and continuously, while performing aerial displays. The Red-crested Korhaan's repertoire consists of three basic calls. One of these, the peep call, was often uttered in four identifiable variations. The main function of these peep calls is to facilitate courtship and hence reproduction. The peeping call of males overlap to mask one another's calls. Alternate calling, and variations of the peep call, suggest that females are attracted to males that group together. Females respond to male peep calls at the start of the breeding season.

Large carnivores are key foci for conservationists, tour operators and hunters alike. They provide revenue-generating opportunities,but also can be keystone species in conservation areas, influencing the maintenance of biological diversity. They often degrade livelihoods of people when coming into conflict with livestock land-uses. We acknowledge these challenges specifically for cases where large carnivores are present in small areas and propose an alternative strategy to the traditional carrying capacity approaches, directed at managing the effects of large carnivores.We advocate an approach where managers of small areas mimic natural social dynamics such as coalition tenure, density dependent changes in litter size, age at first birth and birth intervals, as well as subadult dispersal. This assists with achievement of population and evolutionary targets through a process-based approach mimicking drivers of variance in social groups. Such an applied conservation husbandry approach may have robust outcomes that do not compromise conservation values.

Managers of reintroduced lion (Panthera leo) populations in small reserves (<1000 km²) in South Africa are challenged by high rates of population increase and how best to control them.We combined data from 14 small, fenced reserves to evaluate growth rate parameters and compared them to those in larger and/or open reserves. Growth rates of lions in small fenced reserves were only matched by those in Nairobi National Park (NP), which is relatively small and where the majority of the subadults emigrated away from the park. Initially, South African managers unconsciously mimicked this system by removing subadults to control population numbers, but increasingly chose euthanasia and hunting in the past decade, as the demand for wild lions for translocation decreased. They have, however, expressed a desire to use other methods of population control and mimic other open systems such as Kruger NP and Serengeti NP. Kruger NP had older ages of first reproduction and longer inter-birth intervals that could be mimicked through selective contraception. Alternatively, Serengeti NP had smaller litter sizes and lower cub survival, which could be mimicked through surgery to reduce litter sizes and, less attractively as it still involves lethal management and raises serious ethical concerns, selective culling of cubs. Mimicking Kruger NP may be more desirable as it is more ecologically similar to the small reserves than SerengetiNP. This understanding of the current situation,and howit could be altered to more closely mimic natural systems, will facilitate the development of a metapopulation-based management plan for lions in small reserves in South Africa.

A growing focus of nonhuman primate conservation and management planning concerns factors affecting the dynamics of parasite infection and disease transmission. Here, we examine the effects of anthropogenic and environmental components of the landscape on the prevalence, richness, and species diversity of gastrointestinal parasites in wild-caught vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) in South Africa. Nematodes of the genus Trichuris and the family Strongylidae and protists of the subclass Coccidia were present in 55.13% of sampled animals (n = 43). Parasitological, geographical, demographic and climatic correlates of infection were assessed in a geographical information systems (GIS) platform. The findings of this study suggest that parasitism in South African vervets may be better predicted by environmental factors than by degree of anthropogenic contact. This research represents one of the first surveys of parasitic infection in a wild monkey species in southern Africa.

Two historical records of the springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) made by Thomas Baines, the well-known English artist, naturalist and traveller, in April 1848 in part of the northeastern Eastern Cape, have escaped attention. These records, together with two archeological records from the same area, provide additional insights into the occurrence of this ungulate in the region during earlier times.

Sport hunting may have severe behavioural consequences, and possibly conservation implications for wildlife populations. We used flight initiation distances by two herbivores, impala (Aepyceros melampus) and greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) to assess the impacts of sport hunting on their flight behaviour. We compared Gwaai, a designated hunting area adjacent to Hwange National Park, a protected area in Zimbabwe.We aimed to estimate flight initiation distances (FIDs) for impala and kudu as this can be a good measure of hunting effect on behaviour. Our results suggest that impala and kudu are more flight prone in hunting areas than in non-hunting areas. We propose habituation to explain the shorter FIDs in the protected area,and the risk of being shot by hunters the higher FIDs in the hunting area.We concede that more field observations are needed to estimate the distance at which animals will always trigger an immediate flight response from approaching predators (D_min) and the distance above which prey will not move away from an approaching predator as it is not perceived to be dangerous (D_max) in our study area. However,we suggest that D_min is a useful index for wildlife managers to assess predation risk.