Charismatic Predators in Modern Africa: Spotted Hyena (<I>Crocuta
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources Natural Resources, School of 5-2020 Charismatic Predators in Modern Africa: Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) and Human coexistence in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana Jazmin Castillo University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natresdiss Part of the Hydrology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Other Environmental Sciences Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Castillo, Jazmin, "Charismatic Predators in Modern Africa: Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) and Human coexistence in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana" (2020). Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources. 312. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natresdiss/312 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Natural Resources, School of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. CHARISMATIC PREDATORS IN MODERN AFRICA: SPOTTED HYENA (CROCUTA CROCUTA) AND HUMAN COEXISTENCE IN THE NORTHERN TULI GAME RESERVE, BOTSWANA By Jazmin Castillo A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Major: Natural Resource Sciences Under the Supervision of Professors John P. Carroll and John P. DeLong Lincoln, Nebraska May, 2020 CHARISMATIC PREDATORS IN MODERN AFRICA: SPOTTED HYENA (CROCUTA CROCUTA) AND HUMAN COEXISTENCE IN THE NORTHERN TULI GAME RESERVE, BOTSWANA Jazmin Castillo, M.S. University of Nebraska, 2020 Advisors: John P. Carroll and John P. DeLong Increasing human populations has led researchers to investigate the impacts of high human population density and its impact on carnivore populations. Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) hold a unique place in African ecosystems due to being a very successful top predator with an adaptable diet whereas other top predators, like the African lion, are rapidly decreasing in abundance. We investigated past and current spotted hyena abundance within the Northern Tuli Game Reserve to better aid in wildlife management. Spotted hyenas showed no significant difference in the change in population abundance throughout the different years of the study (2008-2016). Spotted hyena populations also showed no preference in habitat types between river and upland sites whereas brown hyenas had greater detections in river sites. Spotted hyena distribution was negatively impacted by villages and proximity to the border and positively impacted by ecotourism camps and cattle posts. With the decline in riverine habitat and humans influencing wildlife space usage, it is important to further investigate whether certain areas within the reserve require different management zones for a better balance in a limited space surrounded by various human infrastructure. i DEDICATION Les dedico este proyecto a ustedes quienes dejaron todo atrás para dar me una buena vida y oportunidad. Gracias Mami (Maria G. Martinez) y Papi (Alberto Castillo) por su apoyo y amor durante mi carrera. To Maithem and Tata, my Omanican family. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Firstly, thank you to the former and current presidents of the Republic of Botswana, his Excellency Lieutenant General Dr. Seretse Khama Ian Khama and Dr. Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi for allowing me to visit their country and the opportunity to conduct this research project. To the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Botswana for permission to conduct our research. Also, a special thanks to all of the landowners of Northern Tuli for access to their properties, David Evans, Piet Van Rensburg, Redge Van Rensburg, Stuart Quinn, Jannie Eager, and Anthony and Marcelle Robbins from Depotta Game Reserve. Thank you to the Mashatu Game Reserve for providing support through the use of a Land Cruiser, equipment, local knowledge, and access to various parts of the reserve. Thank you to EcoTraining, Inc. and Stuart Quinn from Tuli Wilderness Safari, for providing housing and vehicles during field seasons. To all of the UNL and UGA Botswana Study Abroad groups that assisted in data collection. Each of you helped in different ways and had me laughing harder every trip. Special thanks to all the programs that got me to where I am today. The McNair Program, IANR, Cabela’s Internship, UNL Study Abroad Office, the NSF NRT Program, and UCARE. Each program allowed me to continue to travel to Botswana and conduct my research. To my committee: John Carroll, John DeLong, and Liz VanWormer. Thank you for being patient and providing feedback to my project. I am glad to have each of you on my committee and helping me look at my project with a wider scope. iii John, Papa Impala, thank you for everything. You have shaped me into the biologist I am today and I have grown so much by having you as my advisor. My family refers to you as my “Second Father” because you have taken me under your guidance from the moment I arrived at UNL. You have taught me to be unapologetic and be proud of who I am even for things as simple as properly pronouncing my name. I will treasure our bumbles out in the bush hiding geocaches and sneaking by Maria’s desk to ask you a quick question. Thank you for seeing in me the potential I had yet to see in myself. I look forward to many more adventures and new opportunities because the Dark Vortex of Los Castillos continues. Thank you to Andrei Snyman, for allowing me to conduct research with you. This opportunity is something many dream of conducting and I am grateful you allowed me to take on a project that showed me the coolness of spotted hyenas. Special thanks to Lauren Satterfield and Katie McCollum for being the ones that collected the data for my third chapter. You are two badass women. You were the first women in graduate school that piqued my interest and showed me what was possible in the field of ecology. Thank you for answering my questions about graduate school when I was a freshman who had never heard about a Doctorate or a Master’s degree. Lauren thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer all of my data questions. Thank you to Lyndsie Wszola and Gabby Palomo for putting up with my endless questions of coding and statistics. I look up to both of you and truly appreciate you both taking the time out of your schedules to help me with my project. Lyndsie thank you for always offering me advice, introducing me to deer meat, and talking me through my academic journey. You helped me out and I truly admire you. Thank you to Jessica iv Burnett who also helped me with coding questions and being willing to zoom whenever I needed a question answered. To all of my friends that kept me sane throughout this journey, to the Coffee Club (Callie Seaton and Jessica McDaniel), Mason Williams & Tiger, Alex Cleveland, Shannon Al-Badry, Carina Arriaga, Andrea Tostado, and Amy Hanson. You all helped me in some way throughout this journey and your friendships have meant the world to me. To the NRT Resilient Raccoons, our endless group chats, inside jokes, “collaboration days”, and crazy adventures. I am grateful the NRT provided me a lab of diverse colleagues. Thank you to my entire family, the Castillos’, Pichardos’, Guerreros’, and Martinez. Este logro es para todos ustedes. Especially los Primxs: Kathy, Javier Jr., Leonardo, Alondra, Ruby, Victor, and Gabriel. Last but not least, Maithem. You are the only one who knows how much I truly suffered and sacrificed to get to this point. Your support and the constant push to get this degree finished helped keep me motivated. I am thankful our paths crossed and for helping me grow as a person and as a scientist. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION ................................................................................................................ i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................. ii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................1 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................6 CHAPTER 2: ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF SPOTTED HYENAS (CROCUTA CROCUTA) IN THE NORTHERN TULI GAME RESERVE, BOTSWANA ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................8 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................8 METHODS ....................................................................................................................12 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................16 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................18 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................22