IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Davies-Mostert, H.; Swanepoel, L.H.; Do Linh San, E.; Botha, A.J.; Tjelele, J.; Dumalisile, L.; Marnewick, K.; Tafani, M.; Hunnicutt, M.A.; Tambling, C.J.; Minnie, L.; Hawkins, H.-J. | |
| Biology, Ecology and interaction of other predators with livestock | |
| 2018 Book Chapter | |
In South Africa, two of the smaller carnivores - caracals _Caracal caracal_ and black-backed jackals _Canis mesomelas _- are reportedly responsible for most predation on small livestock (van Niekerk, 2010; Badenhorst, 2014; Kerley et al. 2017). However, other species are also implicated in livestock predation in the country including lions _Panthera leo_, leopards _Panthera pardus_, cheetahs _Acinonyx jubatus_, servals _Leptailurus serval_, African wild dogs _Lycaon pictus_, side-striped jackals _Canis adustus_, Cape foxes _Vulpes chama_, free-roaming dogs (feral or controlled) Canis lupus familiaris, spotted hyenas _Crocuta crocuta_, brown hyenas_ Parahyaena brunnea_, honey badgers _Mellivora capensis_, bushpigs _Potamochoerus larvatus_, chacma baboons_ Papio ursinus_, Nile crocodiles _Crocodylus niloticus_, and various corvids and raptors (e.g. Badenhorst, 2014). While it is well known that large carnivores are important in the top-down regulation of food webs, small carnivores can also, especially in the absence of the large carnivores, play a pivotal role in ecological processes (See Do Linh San & Somers, 2013; Chapter 8). Predators can affect the density and dynamics of prey species, with cascading effects on whole ecosystems (Beschta & Ripple, 2006; Ripple & Beschta, 2007; Wallach, Johnson, Richie & O'Neill, 2010). Large predators, for example, African wild dogs, are also important tourist attractions (Lindsey, Alexander, du Toit & Mills, 2005a). The removal of large predators from an ecosystem may have many unexpected consequences, which from an ecosystem services perspective, can often be negative. In South Africa, many top-order predators have been historically extirpated from much of the land (Boshoff, Landman & Kerley, 2016), with some species(e.g. lions) now surviving mostly in formally protected areas. Some other species such as cheetahs, spotted hyenas, and African wild dogs, although still occurring outside protected areas, are probably dependent on them for continued survival (Mills & Hofer, 1998). |
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