BPCT - Botswana Predator Conservation Trust

Lions

Why are they studied?

Lions are the largest carnivore within the ecological system that we study. They are the drivers of the movements and behavior of many of the other species that we are studying. We cannot completely understand how other species live within their environment without taking into account the potential impacts of lions.

Population Dynamics

Since 2007, we have been collaring and tracking lions from 6 different prides. Through radio tracking and calling station surveys (consisting of broadcasting distress calls of prey and territorial lion calls), we have reliably identified the lion subpopulation in our study area.

• 57 lions in our study area (approximately 1600km2) at the end of 2009
• Just under half the population is made up of adults, and subadults (age two to four) represent 36 percent of the population, indicating a healthy reproductive structure
• Our estimated adult population density is approximately 1.6 adult lions/100km²
• Four lions were lost, either through natural death, from being shot or simply disappeared, in 2009. This indicates a 6.5 percent mortality rate which is consistent with adult mortality in the Okavango Delta, which sits at 5 percent.

Territory Size and Movements

The average territory size for area lion prides is 260 km² with extensive overlap between sub-prides in the Xini area in the northwest and the Santawani area in the center of our study area. Males tend to move between prides, associating with females in 2 to 3 prides over the course of several months.

Diet

We have recorded 70 observations of lions feeding on identifiable prey remains in the study area (Fig 2), and they are dominated by zebra (27%) and impala (17%). These figures strongly indicate a preference for zebras as they constitute less than five percent, and impala account for 65 percent, of animals surveyed in the study area (2006, Ground Survey Report. Bartlam, H.). Lions in our study also feed less frequently on larger prey including giraffe and buffalo. Lions observed feeding from elephants in our area were at carcasses left by trophy hunters during the hunting season.

Conservation

Lions have been a species of concern in recent years. Many researchers and conservationists have estimated lion populations to be between 20,000- 25,000 individuals, which is far lower than previous estimates of 100,000 in the mid-1990s. Although they are currently listed as vulnerable, there is considerable attention and interest in the continued persistence of lions. In Botswana there is a moratorium on lion hunting due to these concerns.