Studies of coprophilous ascomycetes in Kenya: Coprophilous Schizothecium from wildlife dung
Schizothecium encompasses species whose morphological features make them easily confused with Podospora and Cercophora. This study, carried out between September 2008 and October 2010, set out to characterize Schizothecium species from wildlife dung and determine their ecological attributes. Dung from Cape buffalo, zebra, giraffe, hippopotamus, impala, Jackson’s hartebeest, sable antelope and waterbuck was incubated in […]
Comparison of aerial counts with ground counts for large African herbivores
1. Over the past 50 years, aerial counts have been widely used in African wildlife management; however, the accuracy of the resulting estimates has rarely been questioned. The reliability of aerial counts of large African herbivores was examined by comparing the results of a series of systematic aerial sample counts with those from a series […]
Theileria spp. in free ranging giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) in Zambia
Theileria parasites were detected in five apparently healthy free-ranging giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis Linnaeus, 1758) captured for translocation on a game ranch located approximately 60 km south west of Lusaka. Giemsa-stained blood smears examined under a light microscope showed characteristic oval and rod shaped intra-erythrocytic piroplasms. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products targeted on the 18S rRNA […]
Assessing transmission of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli in wild giraffe contact networks
There is growing evidence that anthropogenic sources of antibiotics and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can spill over into natural ecosystems, raising questions about the role wild animals play in the emergence, maintenance, and dispersal of antibiotic resistance genes. In particular, we lack an understanding of how resistance genes circulate within wild animal populations, including whether specific host […]
Reproductive failure in female Thornicroft’s giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti) in Zambia
Reproductive suppression is common among mammals residing in cooperative social systems and is characterized by the cessation of ovulation in subordinate females until their social environment releases them from a temporary freeze on ovulating (e.g., dwarf mongoose, Helogale parvula (Creel, Creel, Wildt, & Monfort, 1992); African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus (Creel, Creel, Mills, & Monfort, […]
Serologic Survey of Selected Viral, Bacterial, and Protozoal Agents in Captive and Free-Ranging Ungulates from Central Kenya
Serologic evidence of exposure to various disease agents in free‐ranging and captive ungulates at a private game ranch in Kenya is presented, and seroprevalence values inside a fenced‐in area are compared with those found on the adjacent open savanna. Zebras outside the fence had a higher prevalence of equine rhinovirus‐1 than zebras inside (Fisher’s exact […]
Giraffe mothers in East Africa linger for days near the remains of their dead calves
Repeated investigation of dead young or carrying of corpses has been observed in several mammalian taxa, notably primates [e.g. yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus): Altmann, 1980; chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Goodall, 1986; Matsuzawa, 1997; Biro et al., 2010; ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta): Nakamichi, Koyama & Jolly, 1996; Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti): Li et al., 2012), dolphins […]
People, Wildlife and Livestock in the Mara Ecosystem: the Mara Count 2002
The great savannas of eastern Africa — cradle of humankind, home to traditional nomadic pastoralists, and last refuge of some of the most spectacular wildlife populations on earth — are in trouble. Notwithstanding 20 years of highly committed wildlife conservation, much of the wildlife in several regions of Kenya and Uganda (and to a lesser […]
Comparison of Two Diet Analysis Techniques for a Browsing Megaherbivore
Diet assessment of herbivores provides insight into trophic relationships, the potential for competition, and the influences herbivores may have on an ecosystem (Bookhout 1996). Thus, the determination of their food requirements is imperative prior to the implementation of any management decisions, which must be based on reliable data (Bookhout 1996). Direct observations and fecal analysis […]
Impacts of military training on the distribution and abundance of small versus large wildlife herbivores on Mpala Ranch, Laikipia, Kenya
Since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began, Kenya’s training grounds have become increasingly relevant to the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK). This has seen ranches hosting the army in Laikipia increase to eleven in 2009 from one in 1964 when training began on Mpala Ranch. This was necessitated by the need for […]