Lions of Timbavati

[Wyld@Heart]

(08-18-2023, 11:21 PM)PumpkinCat Wrote: Inbreeding in the Greater Kruger area has been ongoing among lions for decades, and I think this is the result of a deeper complex problem. It's very sad, because for many years these lions would have had no choice in the matter as the gates were closed off.

That, and the fact that by the late 1800's, the wildlife populations were decimated by uncontrolled hunting. As well as the general game populations, predator numbers, Lion and Wild Dog in particular, plunged as well both as a result of the by now sparse prey and also by being the hunted themselves; one as a trophy and the other as vermin (wild dog still suffering efforts at eradication even after the creation of the Park). Two factors intervened; the creation of the protected areas and the Tsetse fly (without which the protected area might not have come about as the land could then have been suitable for multi use agriculture).

Anyways, I digress, most lions in the park now have common ancestors not all that far removed, the opening of fences between the private reserves and the efforts of making it a Transfrontier Park linking those in Mozambique and Zimbabwe could lead to introduction and spreading of greater diversity in the gene pool but until the protected areas in Moz and Zim can reach the same level of protection as Kruger, which itself as a huge problem, the positive effects on genetic diversity of having a greater traverse will be slow and limited as the lion populations of the added on areas were not that large to begin with. Kruger is an island unfortunately. Reply