The DOI matches its Crossref record; 18 of the 19 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The reintroduction of large carnivores to the Eastern Cape, South Africa: an assessment
Open accessAbstract
Abstract Recently, conservation estate in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province has increased 10-fold resulting in large predators being increasingly reintroduced to restore ecological integrity and maximize tourism. We describe the reintroductions of large carnivores (>10 kg) that have occurred in the Eastern Cape and use various criteria to assess their success. Lion Panthera leo reintroduction has been highly successful with a population of 56 currently extant in the region and problems of overpopulation arising. The African wild dog Lycaon pictus population has increased to 24 from a founder population of 11. Preliminary results for spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta also indicate success. Wild populations of leopards Panthera pardus exist on several reserves and have been supplemented by translocated individuals, although deaths of known individuals have occurred and no estimate of reproduction is available. Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus reintroduction has also been less successful with 36 individuals reintroduced and 23 cubs being born but only 41 individuals surviving in 2005. Criteria for assessing the success of reintroductions of species that naturally occur in low densities, such as top predators, generally have limited value. Carrying capacity for large predators is unknown and continued monitoring and intensive management will be necessary in enclosed, and possibly all, conservation areas in the Eastern Cape to ensure conservation success.
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“Furthermore, in an attempt to restore ecosystem functioning and to increase tourism, managers of many small reserves reintroduce large predators into ecosystems from which they have been absent for decades, and into heavily fragmented and transformed landscapes [12,13].”
From Effects of Vegetation Structure on the Location of Lion Kill Sites in African Thicket (2016) · cites this paper as [12]
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Littlewood, N. A., Rocha, R., Smith, R. K., Martin, P. A., Lockhart, S. L., Schoonover, R. F., Wilman, E. N., Bladon, A. J., Sainsbury, K. A., Pimm, S. L., et al. (2020) · Open Book Publishers · doi:10.11647/obp.0234.02
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Successful phased‐release reintegration of captive‐origin cheetah for metapopulation supplementation
Muller, A. A., Briers‐Louw, W. D., Smit, M., Wemer, N., Sievert, O., Leslie, A. J., & Naude, V. N. (2026) · Conservation Science and Practice · doi:10.1111/csp2.70377
Metadata
- Authors
- Hayward, M. W., Kerley, G. I. H., Adendorff, J., Moolman, L. C., O'Brien, J., Sholto-Douglas, A., Bissett, C., Bean, P., Fogarty, A., Howarth, D., & Slater, R.
- Affiliations
- Nelson Mandela University (ZA)
- Corresponding author
- Hayward, Matt W.
- Venue
- Oryx
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2007-04
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 205-214
- ISSN
- 0030-6053 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-3008
- OpenAlex
- W2115875694
- Cited by
- 208
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 9.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Oryx (publishedVersion)
- Nelson Mandela University Research Repository (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Panthera
- National Research Foundation
- University of Pretoria
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Keywords
- Eastern Cape, lion, Lycaon pictus, spotted hyena, leopard, cheetah, translocation, carrying capacity, conservation estate, wildlife tourism
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