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Animals
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Anthropogenic Threats to Wild and Captive Lions and How to...
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Anthropogenic Threats to Wild and Captive Lions and How to Mitigate Them

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Wildlife".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 12563

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jackie Abell

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Centre for Agroecology, Water & Resilience Coventry University, West Midlands, UK
Interests: African lion; human-wildlife interaction; environmental sustainability; social psychology; research methods; wildlife conservation; social networks

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Over the last 30 years, there has been an acceleration in lion research across the sciences. As wild African (panthera leo) and Asian lion (panthera leo persica) populations continue on a downward trajectory, the complexity of their relationship with human beings has come to the forefront in academic research concerned with their protection and restoration. This has stimulated further interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of lion research. The human dimension is apparent in all lion research focus areas including lion behaviour, ecology, population dynamics, conflict and coexistence, hunting, husbandry practices of captive populations, diet, welfare, management, (eco) tourism, wildlife trade, disease, culture and history, and even the lion researchers themselves. Publications on these areas of focus appear across a range of academic journals, i.e., those deemed most appropriate for that field. This means the collaboration and knowledge sharing we require to appreciate and address the human element in lion research are scattered across various journals and disciplines. Underneath this complexity lies one basic truth: anthropogenic activity poses the biggest threat to wild and captive lions. It might also pose the species’ best chance of protection and restoration.

In this Special Issue, we want to bring together this range of current wild and captive lion research that would not usually be presented in the same publication to highlight anthropogenic threats to lion that exist at all levels of research focus and enquiry. Furthermore, we welcome you to share your successes and failures in mitigating those threats. We encourage you to share any current research or information that you have.

Dr. Jackie Abell
Guest Editor

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • lions
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • anthropogenic threats
  • population
  • wild
  • captive
  • conservation
  • protection
  • restoration
  • mitigation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 3084 KiB  
Article
Contemporary Cultural Trade of Lion Body Parts
by Peter G. R. Coals, Nolwazi S. Mbongwa, Vincent N. Naude and Vivienne L. Williams
Animals 2022, 12(22), 3169; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12223169 - 16 Nov 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4707
Abstract
Trade in lion parts associated with cultural and traditional use is poorly understood. Here we sought to better understand the role and use of lion body parts in the commercial traditional medicine (muthi) trade of South Africa. In 2019 we conducted [...] Read more.
Trade in lion parts associated with cultural and traditional use is poorly understood. Here we sought to better understand the role and use of lion body parts in the commercial traditional medicine (muthi) trade of South Africa. In 2019 we conducted a semi-structured questionnaire survey of muthi traders (n = 10) and traditional healers (n = 20) which explored the significance and symbolism of lions, traded parts and preferences, sources and supply of lion parts, and perceived sustainability of lion derivatives in the South African muthi trade. Our results suggest a cultural importance of lion associated with the umndawu ancestral spirit in particular, as well as in the training and practice of cultural–spiritual healers. Lion paws and parts thereof were most frequently reported as sold by traders and demanded by healers, correlating with recent trends in body-part removals from lion mortalities. Respondents indicated that lion parts were obtained from a variety of sources including wild lion populations in neighbouring countries and captive-breeding farms. Our findings are discussed relative to current concerns in lion conservation and highlight a need for further understanding of the traditional medicine complex, the influence that ancestral spirits have on lion body-part trade, and increased engagement with traditional medicine stakeholders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anthropogenic Threats to Wild and Captive Lions and How to Mitigate Them)
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18 pages, 2565 KiB  
Article
Home Range and Movement Patterns of Reintroduced White Lions (Panthera leo melanochaita) in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve, South Africa
by Jason A. Turner, Emma J. Dunston-Clarke, Inger Fabris-Rotelli and Hans de Iongh
Animals 2022, 12(15), 2003; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12152003 - 8 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3953
Abstract
White lions are a colour variant of the African lion Panthera leo melanochaita and disappeared from the wild due to anthropogenic factors until their reintroduction to the Greater Kruger Park Region of South Africa in 2006. Natural home range behaviour is an index [...] Read more.
White lions are a colour variant of the African lion Panthera leo melanochaita and disappeared from the wild due to anthropogenic factors until their reintroduction to the Greater Kruger Park Region of South Africa in 2006. Natural home range behaviour is an index of reintroduction success. Therefore, the home range and movement of a pride of reintroduced white lions and a constructed pride consisting of reintroduced white lions and translocated wild tawny lionesses in small, fenced reserves was assessed. GPS data from collared adults were collected for the white lion pride between 2010–2011 and 2018–2020 for the constructed pride. Home ranges were estimated using kernel density estimation and minimum convex polygon, with minimum daily distance tested for differences between sex, season, and pride. Home ranges were small and average daily movements restricted for both prides (white lion pride: 5.41 km2 and 10.44 ± 4.82 km; constructed pride: 5.50 km2, 11.37 ± 4.72 km) due to the small reserve size of 7 km2. There was no difference between prides for annual and seasonal home range size, male and female home ranges, minimum daily distance travelled, or habitat selection. White lions from both prides established territories and displayed natural home ranging behaviour, suggesting that their reintroduction was successful, in the absence of anthropogenic threats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anthropogenic Threats to Wild and Captive Lions and How to Mitigate Them)
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24 pages, 5494 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Social Cohesion of a Translocated Pride of White Lions Integrated with Wild Tawny Lions in South Africa, Using Social Network Analysis
by Jason A. Turner, Hans de Iongh and Emma J. Dunston-Clarke
Animals 2022, 12(15), 1985; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12151985 - 5 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3098
Abstract
In South Africa, lions are protected in national parks and smaller fenced reserves. Translocating lions between fenced reserves, whilst necessary to maintain genetic diversity, is disruptive and can impact survivorship and pride cohesion. Critical to translocation success is pride cohesion. White lions are [...] Read more.
In South Africa, lions are protected in national parks and smaller fenced reserves. Translocating lions between fenced reserves, whilst necessary to maintain genetic diversity, is disruptive and can impact survivorship and pride cohesion. Critical to translocation success is pride cohesion. White lions are a natural colour variant occurring in the Greater Kruger Park Region, where anthropogenic threats eliminated this population until reintroduction in 2006. Through social network analysis (SNA), the sociality of a released pride of captive-origin white and wild tawny lions was compared to two captive-origin and wild prides of tawny lions. Social interactions and pride dynamics were recorded for each pride. For all prides, cubs and subadults were central to the play network, while adults received the most social interactions. White and wild tawny adult males initiated more social interactions than captive-origin tawny males, whilst a keystone adult female was identified in each pride. For the constructed pride, social interactions were more evenly distributed, suggesting a high level of connectedness and cohesion. This is the first study to demonstrate that captive-origin white and wild tawny lions can form a socially functional pride, suggesting that white lions would survive in the wild in the absence of anthropogenic threats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anthropogenic Threats to Wild and Captive Lions and How to Mitigate Them)
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