The National Museum has recently embarked on a long process of upgrading its Mammal exhibition halls. While we are excited about the prospects of the changes, this mission also presents us with an opportunity to reflect on the composition and layout of the existing mammal displays.
Abstract
Predation losses reported by producers and claims by livestock industries that predation has severe impacts on the livestock trade are often cast in doubt. Here, the effects of predation on the reproduction and production of five Merino flocks and a Dorper flock, on a strictly monitored government entity (the Glen Agricultural Institute), from 1999 to 2007, are reported.
Abstract
South Africa has a long record of depredation. Since 2004, renewed awareness of this conundrum has markedly increased. The question arose as to what was learnt from historic management efforts, and how farmers, managers and conservation officials can best include it in management programs. Historical reports of two government-subsidised hunt clubs that operated in the Mossel Bay district of South Africa during the late 1970s to early 1990s were analysed to determine their contribution in managing the effects of specific predators on small livestock.
The Free State Province hosts a fairly large diversity of mammal predator species (≈ carnivores). Thirty-nine of our 103 indigenous mammal species can be defined as carnivores. While 19 of these species belong to the order Carnivora, 20 other species are also considered to be carnivores, belonging to the orders Tubulidentata (the Aardvark, which is a specialist ant and termite feeder), Macroscelidea (the Eastern rock sengi or elephant shrew; eats insects and other invertebrates, but also some plant material), Eulipotyphla (including six shrew and one hedgehog species; they eat mostly insects, but also earthworms,
Jean J. de Klerk1 & Nico L. Avenant1,2
1Centre for Environmental Management, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa jacques.deklerk@stenden.ac.za
2*Department of Mammalogy, National Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa navenant@nasmus.co.za
*Corresponding Author: navenant@nasmus.co.za