IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Funston, P.J.; Alexander, K.A. | |
| Disease status of lions in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana Kalahari Transfrontier Lion Project | |
| 2001 Full Book | |
Lions (Panthera leo) can develop a broad range of clinical disease conditions, however, there is a poor understanding of the factors that affect their health and condition in free-ranging populations. Importantly, few examples of infection or disease leading to a major decline in a population in the wild have been recorded. Six viral infections that have been found in other free-ranging lions populations were tested for in 33 KTP lions. The potential impact of two bacterial viruses was also evaluated. Feline immunodeficiency virus was found to occur at very low seroprevalence rates (12%) when compared with many other areas in Africa where it occurs at 80-100% in lion populations and is endemic. In the KTP, therefore, it may rather be an epidemic disease. This situation should thus not necessarily result in the summary restriction of the movement of lions from the KTP area to other areas where they are sought after. Animals to be translocated could be tested before, or even after, being transported. Feline herpes virus occurs at similarly high rates as in other areas, and can be classified as endemic in the KTP lion population, whereas the low seroprevalence rates of calici, corona, and canine distemper viruses (CDV) suggest that they are infrequent epidemic diseases. The age and infection distribution of lions seropositive for CDV suggests that an outbreak of this disease last occurred in the early-1900's and was restricted to the higher lion density areas of the park. It was concluded that none of these viral diseases was likely to have an immanent affect on the KTP lion population. Thus although a disease monitoring program in such an immense park with low lion densities, along with the innocuous nature of these diseases, effectively nullifies the need for such a program. Regularly sampling of individual lions captured for translocation purposes is, however, recommended. Although the 1994 CDV outbreak in the Serengeti is a much touted cause for concern, monitoring, and vaccination programs of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) in adjoining ranching areas, it is not likely to be a problem in the KTP lion population because 1) the particular strain was a mutation 2) the infection has never been reported to cause similar disease outbreaks in that, or other, lion populations 3) the low density of lions in the KTP would make transmission difficult. Of the possible bacterial diseases, anthrax is known to be endemic in the Kalahari region, but due to low population densities and rainfall is not likely to negatively affect the KTP lion population. Other diseases that are currently causing concern in other lion populations (e.g. bovine tuberculosis in the Kruger National Park) are not likely to be of concern due to the absence of a suitable maintenance host within the KTP, and the current absence of the disease in domestic livestock in adjoining cattle ranching areas in Botswana. These findings suggest furthermore that the summary destruction of any possible diseased individual for post-mortem and histopathological assessment can not be necessarily be justified as a disease outbreak is unlikely to cause major population declines and could, and perhaps should not, be controlled even if it did. |
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