Age and sex selection of prey is an aspect of predator ecology which has been extensively studied in both temperate and African ecosystems. This dimension, along with fecundity, survival rates of prey and mortality factors other than predation are important in laying down the population dynamics of prey and have important implications in the management of species. A carnivore den located in the...

Merino sheep in Thornveld, Dorper sheep and Angora goats in inland Valley Bushveld, Angora goats and Boer goats in Valley Bushveld on the coastal plateau, and springbok, Antidorcas marsupialis, and black wildebeest, Connochaetes gnou, in Karroid Mountainveld, all in the Eastern Cape Province, were examined for the larvae of nasal bot flies. The sheep and goats were infested with the larvae of O...

an outbreak of malignant catarrhal fever (mcf), a fatal viral disease in indigenous tanzanian shorthorn zebu in ngorongoro district of tanzania during the period of june 2004 has been described. the disease was diagnosed by clinical, post mortem findings and the virus was identified using molecular characterization study. the history and clinical features included pyrexia, cornel opacity, nasal...

Fifty-five blue wildebeest ( Connochaetes taurinus ) were shot for parasite recovery at approximately monthly intervals during a period of 13 months in the Kruger National Park. Thirteen nematode species, 4 cestode species, 1 trematode, the larvae of 5 oestrid flies, 3 lice species, 7 ixodid tick species, 1 mite species and the nymphae of a pentastomid were recovered. The seasonal prevalence of...

After a May 2011 outbreak of Rift Valley fever among livestock northeast of Etosha National Park, Namibia, wild ruminants in the park were tested for the virus. Antibodies were detected in springbok, wildebeest, and black-faced impala, and viral RNA was detected in springbok. Seroprevalence was high, and immune response was long lasting.

MCF is defined by the recognition of characteristic lymphoid cell accumulations in non-lymphoid organs, vasculitis, and T-lymphocyte hyperplasia in lymphoid organs, and can be caused by either of two gamma-herpesviruses. The alcelaphine herpesvirus-1 (AIHV-1), the natural host of which, the wildebeest, is infected inapparently, causes the disease in cattle in regions of Africa and various rumin...

Migratory ungulates may be particularly vulnerable to the challenges imposed by growing human populations and climate change. These species depend on vast areas to sustain their migratory behavior, and in many cases come into frequent contact with human populations outside protected areas. They may also act as spatial coupling agents allowing feedbacks between ecological systems and local econo...

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.08.012 0003-3472/© 2014 The Association for the Study of A For many animals, a key benefit of group living is lowered predation risk. With increasing group size, individuals commonly reduce vigilance. This group size effect can arise from both dilution of risk and increased collective detection. To determine which was more important, we compared vigilanc...