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Module 1 Conservation Biology of Cheetah and Wild

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Module 1 Conservation Biology of Cheetah and Wild Conservation Biology of cheetah and wild dog in the MODULE 1 context of effective management FAQ Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) are two unique and special large carnivores, essentially now confined to Africa. The cheetah is listed as “vulnerable” by the IUCN Red data list, and the wild dog “endangered” - so both urgently need our help to survive. There is extensive literature and information available about the conservation biology of cheetah and African wild dog. Many wildlife managers are extremely busy and so this manual provides information using answers to “frequently asked questions” - the question we know are often asked of managers, or by managers - as a way of summarising all available knowledge. However, should you have a question that is not answered in this module, please do not hesitate to contact the Range Wide Programme on [email protected] or visit our website www.cheetahandwilddog.org. Frequently asked questions: How do you tell the difference between a cheetah, a leopard and a serval? 1. The cheetah is a unique and specialised member of the cat family. While running down its prey, it can reach speeds of 103km per hour, making it the fastest creature on land. Its body is uniquely adapted to reaching high speeds, giving it a distinctive shape - long thin legs, small head, long but flexible spine and a long but strong and flexible tail. To help grip the earth when running at high speed, cheetah have claws that do not completely retract like other cats - refer to as “semi-retractable claws”. This gives their spoor the unique appearance, part cat (with three hind lobes) and part dog (with claw marks). Cheetah cubs have a “mane” of light coloured fur along their back which they gradually lose as they get older. Cheetah are diurnal, hunting during the day and as such, have special “tear marks” on their faces that help to reduce the glare of the hot African sun. This is another distinguishing feature of them. Cheetah females are solitary unless with cubs, but cheetah males can live singly or in groups called “coalitions”. Cheetah cubs are kept in a “den” during the first three months of their lives and this is when they are vulnerable to lions and spotted hyaenas, and to being caught for the illegal cub trafficing trade. Cheetahs are very successful hunters, running down their prey with bursts of high speed and then tripping it up using their powerful dew claw. Once the animal has fallen, the cheetah will suffocate it with a bite to the neck. After a hunt a cheetah cannot often begin feeding until it has recovered its breath, again making it vulnerable to other lion and spotted hyaena that steal kills. In many parts of Africa, conservationists and wildlife managers have reaslise that rural farming communities, and the general public often confuse cheetah with either leopard or serval. This is understandable given that all three cats are “spotted cats” that occur in wildlife areas and have a broad habitat distribution. However, it is very important that such communities learn how to tell the difference and the following points below and on the following page explains a few key points you can use to help people tell the difference. 1 Conservation Biology of cheetah and wild dog in the MODULE 1 context of effective management Cheetah spots are small and solid and they have no stripes on their coat. Leopard spots occur in groups that close up resemble the petals of a flower. Servals have stripes along the back of their neck towards the top of their front legs. Cheetahs have long thin bodies, a relatively long tail and small heads with distinctive tear marks. Leopards have short thick bodies with large heads (almost no neck) and no tear marks. Serval have a short tail and no tear marks, and are about half the size of a cheetah. The paw prints of cheetah show claws (similar to a dog) but those of a leopard and serval do not. 2. Are wild dogs not a type of feral domestic dog (or hyaena)? Wild dogs are a unique species in a unique genus (Lycaon pictus), endemic (ie. only occur) in Africa and are not a variety of feral dog or hyeana. They are referred to by a variety of names - African hunting dog, painted dog, painted worf and in old literature as the Cape hunting dog, but for the IUCN Canid Specialist Group we us “African wild dog”. They are highly social members of the canid family. Packs cooperate to hunt their prey which consists mainly of medium- sized ungulates (particularly impala,) but many range in size from hares and dik dik to kudu (and even, occasionally, eland). Hunting success is often high (as much as 80% of attempted kills being successful), and as a result the species has been unfairly targeted by livestock and game producers as a species that “decimates” their herds. Each pack is territorial defending its territory through scent marks rather than physical attacks or sound. Packs also cooperate to breed, with usually only one femal and one male being parents of the pups (the alpha male and female), but all pack members contributing to pup care. As females have never been observed to raise to adulthood without assitstance from other pack members, packs, rather than individuals, are often used as the units of measuring wild dog population size. Litter sizes can be large, average 10 -11 puppies although as many as 21 have been recorded. Wild dogs have brightly coloured coats with brown, white and black markings each coat having a unique pattern. This means that populations can be monitored relatively easily through the identification of individuals (see Module 7 for more detail). The ends of their tails are white, possibly to allow for pack members to follow each other through the bush when hunting. Wild dogs usually have their litters durin what is referred to as the denning season. In Southern Africa this is from May to July. Puppies are kept in disused holes and usually one adult is left guarding the pups while the others hunt. Adults kill and devour a carcass and then return and regurgitate food for the pups and the adult left as guard. It is during this period that wild dogs are most vulnerable in protected areas to lions and spotted hyeanas, and in human landscapes as a) they are easy to find and if puppies are dug out and killed the pack normally moves on and b) because during this period they will stay and hunt in a relatively small area and will, therefore, be more noticable to the farmer (whether livestock or game). 2 Conservation Biology of cheetah and wild dog in the MODULE 1 context of effective management 3. Do cheetahs only occur in grassland? Despite their specialised hunting strategy, cheetah are habitat generalists, ranging across a wide variety of habitats, from desert through grassland savannas to thick bush. Although the cheetah kills using bursts of high speed and trips up its prey to kill it, they can only maintain such speeds for a short period of time, after which they run out of energy and their muscles overheat. This means that any clearing is suitable for them to hunt successfully - vleis, dambos, old abandoned fields, open scrubland as well as the well publicized open grasslands of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Cheetahs are solitary and shy animals and they are often only observed in open areas, encouraging the belief that only grasslands are suitable. Bush-encroachment by thornscrub and/or lantana in many parts of Africa is of some concern for the conservation of cheetah as such areas have few if any open patches and cheetahs will not be able to successfully hunt in thick bush. Also such areas are less productive for all wild game species reducing available prey, and bush encroachment reduces the productivity of gazing for livestock. Creating open areas within such bush encroached habitat is beneficial not just to the cheetah but other wild game species, and livestock as well. In addition, the wood can be used as fuel by local communities. Similarly, wild dogs occur in a wide range of habitat, being able to hunt in dense woodland, swamps, high mountain slopes, semi-arid areas, with only the deserts being marginal for the species. 4. Are cheetahs genetically doomed? In the 1980’s a series of influential papers were published that suggested that cheetah were genetically monomorphic - in other words, they showed low levels of genetic diversity and as such were in danger of suffering from inbreeding effects. The papers also argued that this low level of genetic diversity was the cause of high levels of juvenile mortality in the species. In fact more recent analyses have shown that the arguments put forward in the original research papers are not valid: first, the analyses were done on a reduced number of loci and evidence showed that this restricted number artificially reduced the importance of heterozygosity in cheetahs. Second, comparative studies showed that different taxa (eg. carnivores, antelopes, primates, rodents, etc.) possess different types of heterozygosity, with carnivores as a group, having approximately half the levels of polymorphism and heterozygosity of other mammalian species. Such differences were not taken into account by the original research when they explored the correlation between juvenile survival and level of genetic variability. Finally, and most importantly, subsequent behavioural and population dynamics approaches in the Serengeti (and other areas where cheetah have been studied) revealed that predation of cubs by hyeanas and lions, and not low genetic variability, was the main factor driving variation in juvenile survival in cheetah.
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