Post Submitted by Joseph Lemeris.
It’s daybreak, near the edge of the Namib Desert in Namibia. We step
out of a dusty Land Rover with our cameras, binoculars, and
radio-telemetry equipment, and head straight up one of the numerous
mountain ridges which surround us on all sides. The morning sun casts a
stunning glow on the landscape, making the rigorous trek beautiful as
well. N/a’an
ku se researcher Stuart Munro preps telemetry equipment to track the
translocated leopard, Lightning. (Photograph: Joseph Lemeris Jr)
When we reach the top, we scan our antenna across the horizon,
listening for the faint but distinct ‘click-click’ from the receiver.
After several passes, we hear it – coming from the southwest. Looking
out, we see a seemingly vacant landscape; the dry season vegetation
sparse except for one dense tract running tightly along a perennial
riverbed. We all agree the clicking is likely pointing us to that
riverbed, where we hope to find what we are looking for: Lightning, one
of the N/a’an ku se Foundation’s most successful translocated leopards. N/a’an
ku se researcher Stuart Munro preps telemetry equipment to track the
translocated leopard, Lightning. (Photograph: Joseph Lemeris Jr)
The use of translocation as a tool to curb human-carnivore conflict
has come under scrutiny in recent years, and rightly so: if not
performed under near-perfect conditions, a host of issues can arise for
both the animal and the landowners requesting its removal. Not only can
translocation present dangers for the animal (including competition from
resident carnivores, lack of prey, and injury during translocation),
but it may actually contribute to further livestock loss by the
landowner over the long-term, drawing new leopards in to fill the vacant
range.
N/a’an ku se’ head of research, Florian Weise (two-time Big Cats
Initiative grant recipient), recognized these problems with
translocation operations, but saw the need for a more structured system
of translocation informed by available data, rather than discarding it
as an option outright. This need led to a recent study (“A Home Away From Home: Insights From Successful Leopard (Panthera pardus) Translocations“) which
examined leopard movements and behaviors from both resident and
successfully translocated leopards, like Lightning. Interestingly, the
team found that translocated leopards exhibited ecological traits very
similar to non-translocated leopards. They predominantly fed on wildlife
(only one leopard preyed on livestock after release, which were
illegally herded onto the release reserve). They were equally successful
in terms of survival and reproduction. They established similarly sized
home ranges after release, and did not home back to their original
range. So, why were these translocations successful when so many have
failed? The first of Lightning’s three cubs since she was translocated 5 years ago. (Photograph: Alexander Haas)
Put simply: location, location, location. Florian’s team focused on
identifying suitable translocation areas prior to releasing a problem
leopard, believing that most translocation failures are a result of poor
release-site suitability. To help tackle this undertaking, the team
developed the Carnivore Translocation Suitability Tool (CaTSuiT) to
identify suitable release sites using geospatial data. Florian’s
research revealed that ideal release sites should be areas where
leopards are known to occur in low or medium densities, away from urban
centers, and within known protected areas. Areas should also not be
smaller than 875 square kilometers (to accommodate home range size), nor
closer than 200 kilometers to the original capture site. Using these
conservative attributes, CaTSuiT estimated over 117,000 square
kilometers of suitable land in Namibia, potentially capable of
supporting around 87 leopard translocations over 1.5 years.
However, there are additional considerations to take into account
before releasing a leopard. Was a leopard released into the area within
the last 1.5 years? Is the sex ratio of leopards in your release area
unknown? Is the ‘problem’ leopard under 18 months old, or a known
habitual livestock raider? Do neighboring property owners have an
intolerant history with carnivores? If the answer to any of these
questions is ‘yes,’ perhaps the translocation should be postponed or
reconsidered as an option. The
Carnivore Translocation Suitability Tool helps conservationists
identify suitable habitat for leopard translocation (areas in green). In
this example, a perceived problem leopard was captured near Etosha
National Park (red x). (Figure: Joseph Lemeris Jr)
The successful translocations featured in Florian’s study contradict
the numerous studies which question the legitimacy of translocation as a
conservation tool, but by no means does it recommend translocation as a
primary action. The costs of translocation can be enormous if performed
on a regular basis, and even if they are completed successfully, they
may not be sustainable for an organization with limited funds to take
on. Instead, the study suggests that organizations focus on changing the
behaviors of landowners by giving them the tools to raise livestock
while being tolerant of carnivores. Translocations should only be
performed after all other husbandry and land management strategies have
failed, and should be conducted using strict protocols and site
selection methods like those presented here.
Back near the edge of the Namib, we never caught sight of Lightning
that morning, though we tracked her to within 50 meters before she
vanished into the mountains. Still, we had the information we needed.
Continuously monitoring the location and behaviors of translocated
leopards after their release is another practice Florian’s team believes
is vital to understanding what makes a successful translocation. They
have been regularly tracking Lightning since she was released here in
2009, and they’ve learned that she’s maintained a stable home range,
raised 3 cubs, and hasn’t preyed on livestock since. Lightning, shown here, was translocated 5 years ago, and has not killed livestock since. (Photograph: Paul Jenkins)source
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