Sera from various wild ruminants co-existing in the same habitats with cattle had haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibodies as high as those in the cattle. Sera from wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), kongoni (Alcelaphus cokei), Thomson’s gazelle (Gazella thomsonii), eland (Taurotragus oryx) and the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) had titers ranging from 64 to 128. Zebra (Equus burchelli)...

BACKGROUND Group dynamics of gregarious ungulates in the grasslands of the African savanna have been well studied, but the trade-offs that affect grouping of these ungulates in woodland habitats or dense vegetation are less well understood. We examined the landscape-level distribution of groups of blue wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus, and Burchell's zebra, Equus burchelli, in a predominantly ...

Twenty juvenile northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) that died between 1998 and 2004 had ulcers on the tongue, palatine mucosa, and/or tonsils. Histologic examination of the lesions revealed cytoplasmic swelling, nuclear pyknosis, and eosinophilic to amphophilic intranuclear inclusions bodies suggestive of herpesviral infection. Electron microscopic examination and polymerase chain...

There was only a jigsaw puzzle of dry ground; A shroud of unfinished power lines dangling in silence. Shadow cows wandered over broken fence pieces, prodding memories of grass. I asked a hungry man, Where is the beautiful land I came to see? This is her legacy, he told me sadly. The legend you seek is dead. She was once virgin bride to the world. Her dowry was a sea of zebra. Her wildebeest thu...

The rapid expansion of human populations in East Africa increases human-wildlife interactions, particularly along borders protected areas (PAs). This development calls for a better understanding how human-modified landscapes facilitate or exclude wildlife savannas and whether these effects change through time. Here, we used camera traps to compare the distribution 13 large herbivore species Ser...

In situ hybridization was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung sections from eight blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) calves to investigate the role of this organ in the excretion of alcelaphine herpes virus-1 (AHV-1). A digoxigenin labelled Smal fragment of AHV-1 was used as a DNA probe. Viral DNA was detected in the lungs of seven calves in which infection with AHV-1 had p...

In this paper, we describe our attempts to fit historical data from the Kruger National Park with a plausible one predator and two mutualistic prey model. Explicit examples of how a model is being developed, improved and tested are rare in literature. This is probably because of the many uncertainties, shortcomings in data, assumptions, speculations and intuitive decisions that form part of the...