IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
| Frank, L.; Simpson, D.; Woodroffe, R. | |
| Foot snares: an effective method for capturing African lions | |
| 2003 Wildlife Society Bulletin (31): 309-314 | |
Most ecological and behavioral research on large African carnivores has been conducted on protected populations in national parks, where individual animals are habituated to vehicles and readily approached. Habituated lions (_Panthera leo_) can be individually recognized through natural markings such as whisker spot patterns, scars, and ear damage. If they must be handled for marking, radiocollaring, and biomedical sampling, they can usually be darted from a vehicle. However, due to the rapid decline of predators outside protected areas, there is urgent need for management and conservation research on nonprotected populations. Persecuted carnivores become wary of vehicles, and capturing these animals with traditional methods is difficult at best, requiring a major investment in time and effort. Obtaining a meaningful and unbiased sample of animals may be impossible using such techniques. Further, traditional methods have significant drawbacks: 1. Cage traps require a large team to transport, lions are reluctant to enter them unless the cages are baited with the lion's own kill, and captured animals sometimes destroy their claws attempting to get out. Leopards (_P. pardus_) enter them readily, but often destroy their canines and claws; 2. In some countries, steel leghold traps are considered inhumane and are illegal; 3. Mass capture by darting at baits is best used in areas where lions are accustomed to vehicles and where it is possible to shoot wild ungulates for bait; those variables are often mutually exclusive. Foot snares have long been used to capture bears (_Ursus _spp.) and have been adapted for mountain lions; tigers (_Panthera tigris_), lynx _(Lynx canadensis_), foxes (_Vulpes vulpes_), and coyotes (_Canis latrans_). In this paper we describe the use of foot snares to capture nonhabituated lions and other large African carnivores. |
|
 |
PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here |
(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |