Lions of Sabi Sands

[Rabubi]

(11-25-2024, 06:01 PM)sunless Wrote: This comes to my mind again as seeing K4 injured, what do you guys think about the policy of non-intervention in Greater Kruger should be change like in the Mara or other policy can be implimented?

*No intervention at all unless human cause.
*Fast Intervention like in the Masai Mara.
*Or other policy like wait until a week or days if the lion/leopard survive in that time then intervene and treat the said injury.

What you guys think would be the best in Greater Kruger as lion/leopard population is decreasing in the Greater Kruger especially in the Northen part of the Kruger?

No intervention at all unless human caused.

Personally, I believe that policy is the most ethical, practical and sustainable when managing large ecosystems such as the Greater Kruger, Okavango, Serengeti-Mara, etc because wild animals in their natural habitat are always at risk of injury and injuries are inevitable in the wild so it's best to let Mother Nature take its course.

That being said, Northern Kruger is facing a lot of challenges in terms of human-wildlife conflict, hunting and poaching so the best case scenario in my view is to first get that under control and then work on restoring the ecosystem where necessary (land rehabilitation, wildlife reintroductions, etc.). To intervene in Northern Kruger right now (like rangers and vets do in the Mara) would just be putting a small bandage on a gaping wound.

Also, I don't like the intervention policy in the Mara for the same reasons everyone else here mentioned above. It focuses on named individuals at the expense of lesser-known lions trying to establish themselves, as Nature intended (with implications on genetic diversity since pride males are living and ruling longer than what naturally would have been the case). This consequence also spills over to other predators that lions compete with, such as spotted hyena, leopard and especially cheetah and painted wolves so now those predators are under even more pressure from lions now that their mortality rates have been artificially increased. Reply