This typical arrangement is, however, subject to
much variability, and the more that is learned about lion ecology the more
permutations come to light. It seems also to be true, that population dynamics
- along with other behaviours - differ among lions from one region to another.
In areas where lion populations are hemmed-in by fences, human settlements or
agriculture (sadly, this is now the case over much of Africa) pride dynamics
may be altered radically, as dominant males are either in control for
abnormally-long periods, or are killed (shot by farmers) on a regular basis.
The implications either way are serious, as males with too long a tenure may
eventually mate with their own daughters, while repeated changes of pride
dominance caused by regular mortalities, results in a high rate of infanticide
(male lions will invariably kill cubs which they have not sired).
The African lion On the Hunt Lions are
the super-predators of Africa, able to capture prey from tiny elephant-shrews
to immature elephants. By and large, zebra, wildebeest and buffalo are the
favoured prey, but this depends upon the size of the pride, the terrain and the
availability of particular prey. Only large prides will tackle buffalo, and -
even then - males are often called upon (literally) to deliver the killing
bite. A buffalo bull is a huge and powerful animal averaging 800kg, but once it
is down, it can provide food for a week or more. Prides seem to specialise in
certain prey and develop strategies accordingly. This can mean, for example,
that a pride will walk past a group of feeding zebras and target a lone
giraffe. Prey is also seasonal in many places, such that the lions of Kenya's
Masai Mara have a glut of migratory wildebeest between July and November (some
prides may kill three per night!) but then have to survive of wily warthogs and
agile gazelles for the rest of the year.
Not above scavenging One reason for
being in a pride is not only to be tackling large prey but also to defend it.
The Spotted Hyena is the arch enemy of the lion, and large clans of these
tenacious carnivores are sometimes able to dispossess the big cats of their
prey. In contrast to the Hollywood image of hyenas being cowardly, these
adaptable animals are highly organised team-workers in their own right. Since
any predator has to avoid injury if it is to survive, lions will usually take
to easiest available prey, preferring a limping zebra foal to a vigorous
stallion. It is perhaps not commonly known that lions derive a large part of
their diet from scavenging or pirating a meal from a smaller or solitary
carnivore (cheetah are the most victimised, and this is why leopards take their
prey up into trees).
Conservation of lions in Africa Because
lions come into conflict with mankind, in particular his livestock, they have
been systematically eliminated over most of the continent and their known range
has shrunk by about two thirds. The areas previously infested with tsetse fly
(carrier of dreaded livestock disease) have until recently been a refuge for
lion (most large national parks were created in tsetse areas) but recent
prophylactics and fly eradication programmes (with other environmental impacts)
now permit growing numbers of cattle to enter these previously hostile
environments.
There are only three parts of Africa which contain
populations of 2000 lions or more. The Serengeti-Mara, the
Okavango-Chobe-Hwange complex, and the Kruger National Park and its neighbours.
Elsewhere, populations are fragmented and therefore vulnerable. The long term
future of the lion cannot be considered secure in these areas, without human
intervention to monitor and regulate population genetics.
African "Big Five"
