Our results showed that lions are opportunist hunters with prey ranging from mice to elephant. WWF worked together with the communities to rehabilitate six stand taps in six communities, explains Njounan. Schoor Avenue, Bellville, Cape Karoo These are smaller sedimentary basins. Even though it is difficult to know from which individual a faecal sample comes from, and male and female lions are sometimes found together at a kill, samples were mainly collected at female kills and hence the faecal approach can be considered as more representative of female lion diet. Three male and eight female lions from different coalitions and prides, instrumented with GPS Simplex and TELUS radio-collars (approximate weights: female 900 g, male 950 g; Televilt Positioning AB, Lindesberg, Sweden; see [23] for details), were studied. Etosha 7 RIVERS AND WATERFALLS Three other major rivers are the Djrem, Bnuo, and Nyong. Conservation of the trees around this water source has helped to keep it flowing. Water supply, sanitation and health risks in Douala 5 municipality, Cameroon. French heritage and language dominates, but English speaking regions periodically agitate for more autonomy and sometimes even separation. Water Resources in Cameroon This is the sum of renewable groundwater and renewable surface water resources (both internal and external) Renewable Water Resources 283 billion m/year Total Renewable Water Resources (2017) Water Resources per Capita 11,769 m/person/year Renewable Water per Inhabitant (2017) Water Dependency 4 % In African semi-arid savannas, surface-water is a heterogeneously distributed, limiting resource which becomes scarcer as the dry season progresses. Climate, Hydrology and Water Resources in Cameroon. Timber logging provides significant government income, but is relatively poorly regulated. Samples were collected during kill site investigations, air dried and stored in paper bags for later analysis. Boxes show medians, 25% and 75% quartiles. Africa Groundwater Atlas >> Hydrogeology by country, Cameroon. The main rivers in the south of the country are the Ntem, Nyong, Sanaga, and Wouri, which flow southwestward or westward into the Gulf of Guinea. Seasonal geographic information on waterholes was available and allowed us to calculate for each kill the distance to the nearest waterhole containing water (distance-to-water) using ArcView 3.2 nearest neighbour extensions (ESRI 2004). 2). Generally, flow patterns of all Cameroon rivers are typified by rainfall. Hence, buffalo are likely to have a crucial influence on the spatial and behavioural ecology of lions in the Hwange ecosystem in all seasons. During the study period, adult male and female lions were sighted together in only 7% of the sightings (n=1710). Groundwater Need Assessment - Lake Chad Basin. 2020 WWF - World Wide Fund For Nature 1986 Panda Symbol WWF World Wide Fund For Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund) WWF is a WWF Registered Trademark Creative Commons license. Because several non-independent samples were collected at one site, we used one faecal sample only per kill site to avoid any pseuso-replication [27]. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Lake Chad Basin Aquifer System. Sossusvlei Per Capita in 2000 : 19 192 m 3 /year. 1). We use cookies to analyse how visitors use our website and to help us provide the best possible experience for users. 2015) of groundwater. In total, agriculture contributes around 40% of GDP. Some seasonal patterns were suggested for secondary prey, however. 2). Three seasons are distinguished: the wet season (November-February), with long-term mean rainfall of 513.6160.0 mm, wide spread surface-water availability and abundant, high quality browse and grazing; the early dry season (March-June), long-term mean rainfall of 111.172.8 mm with decreasing fodder quality and surface-water availability; and the late dry season (JulyOctober), long-term mean rainfall of 25.026.6 mm with surface-water restricted to artificial waterholes and very few natural pans, while deciduous trees lose their foliage and both browse and grazing is of the lowest quality during the year. Recharge occurs to the confined aquifer only in limited areas (GWP 2013). PLOS ONE promises fair, rigorous peer review, (I accept). Molua EL and Lambi CM. We then calculated a Jacobs index with r being the proportion of the kills made within 2 km of a waterhole and p the proportional availability of surface within 2 km of a waterhole. The Lake Chad Basin Aquifer System: a case study for the research project 'Transboundary groundwater management in Africa'. Browsers, not grazers: if you see a rhino mowing grassland, it will be a southern white. The Ministry of Water Resources and Energy / Ministere De Leau Et De Lenergie (MINEE) has responsibility for water supply and sanitation in both rural areas and towns through the Directorate of Directorate of Water (DE: Direction de lEau). These maps and graphs were developed from the CRU TS 3.21 dataset produced by the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, UK. Groundwater from volcanic aquifers is widely used by the bottled water industry. 2). Environmental Earth Sciences, 76(9), 354. It was in Etosha that a study proved that elephant can communicate using infrasonic sounds; they literally 'bounce' these off a thermal inversion layer in the atmosphere. What are the characteristics of rivers in Cameroon? We assessed seasonal prey preference using Jacobs selection index [35]: Where r is the proportion of the total number of kills or faecal samples of a particular species and p is the proportional availability of the prey species killed. WWF worked together with the communities to rehabilitate six stand taps in six communities," explains Njounan. Sossusvlei Seasonal prey availability estimates for Hwange used in this analysis were taken from published road transect data for Sinamatella, Main Camp and Ngamo areas, which cover our study area [36]. Male lions showed a preference for medium Bovidae in the early dry and wet seasons, and for Suidae in the late dry and wet seasons (Fig. Proportional prey selection did not differ significantly between seasons neither for males (Friedman 2early dry-late dry=10.17, df=7, p=0.18; Friedman 2early dry-wet=9.57, df=7, p=0.21; Friedman 2late dry-wet=11.70, df=7, p=0.11), nor for females even though results approached significance level (Friedman 2early dry-late dry=12.95, df=7, p=0.07; Friedman 2early dry-wet=11.67, df=7, p=0.11; Friedman 2late dry-wet=12.45, df=7, p=0.08). Water Resources Management 24(5), 871888. Consequently, waterhole areas are attractive for all herbivores in the dry season and attractive for grazers in the wet season, which corresponds to the period when most grazers have their young. There is no perennial water in Hwange, and rain fed pans hold water throughout the year only in high rainfall years. Four different kinds of cryptocurrencies you should know. The Gemsbok is a large African antelope with very long horns, sometimes used in defence against the Kalahari lions. Lake Jipe provides water for the wildlife species in the park like the lions, elephants and among others when they are thirsty. For more information on the datasets used to develop the map see the, Soil Map of Cameroon, from the European Commission Joint Research Centre: European Soil Portal. The basin is shared by Chad, Niger, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria, Sudan and Libya. We expected lion kill locations to be influenced by the trend in prey aggregation at artificial waterholes, resulting in seasonal variation in kill distribution; closer to waterholes in dry periods and further away in wet periods. This suggested that surface-water resources form passive traps and contribute to the structuring of lion foraging behaviour. https://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk/index.php/Hydrogeology_of_Cameroon. Discover the magic of Devils Pool at Victoria Falls all your questions answered! They however went dysfunctional and the community faced a serious water crisis. Overall, juveniles represented one third of the zebra carcasses found. Composed mainly of Cretaceous marine sandstones and limestones, which are 1000 to 2000 m thick. These basins generally form low to moderately productive aquifers, capable of borehole yields of up to 5 m/hour. Contrastingly during wet seasons, pools of water are more available throughout the landscape and herbivore distributions more homogeneous and dispersed. Small antelopes contributed 1% to lion diet by relative biomass consumed. 3A). Others walk over two kilometres to get the precious liquid. We used data from 245 kills and 74 faecal samples. Lion prey species found at kills classified in 8 groups and their respective proportions relative to frequency of occurrence. Where does the Cameroon River get its water? Seasonal differences in the preference of prey were tested using Friedman rank sum tests. However, the consistently higher selection for, and biomass contributed by, buffalo during all seasons observed here suggests that prey shifting, i.e. It is located in rural area. Etosha Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Tubney House, Abingdon, United Kingdom, Current address: Marwell Wildlife, Colden Common, Winchester, United Kingdom, Affiliations: Metamorphic crystalline basement - Precambrian, Crystalline rocks cover most of Cameroon, sometimes covered with alluvium and other unconsolidated deposits, and laterite. United Nations. I travelled throughout Cameroon in February and March 2020 with colleagues from Wildlife Conservation Society and the Elephant Crisis Fund to gain a better understanding of the conservation landscape in . Tsavo. It is used to supplement the domestic and industrial water demand of Douala (Mafany and Fantong 2006). The field assistance of Dr. Daniel Parker, B. Stapelkamp, Nicholas Elliot, Jalle Claypole, Agrippa Moyo, Lowani Mpofu and the rangers of the Hwange National Park was invaluable. Unfortunately, it is also a country where wildlife is subject to a wide and intense array of human pressures. Constructing a 3D geological model from geophysical data for groundwater modelling and management in the Kribi-Campo sedimentary sub-basin, Cameroon. The pools go by a variety of names: prairie potholes, whale wallows, hog wallows, sinks, and kettles. Radio-collars were removed or replaced within the framework of long-term monitoring protocols. Zebra and Suidae showed a peak in contribution to female lion diet in the late dry season (Fig. Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions. Many springs occur. Jacobs index finally revealed a very strong preference for kills within 2 km from a waterhole for all prey species, except small antelopes, in all seasons. Africa Groundwater Atlas >> Hydrogeology by country >> Hydrogeology of Cameroon. The lions of Botswana have the widest range of large prey species than anywhere else on the continent. They are the most recent available information in the Aquastat database. The MCP method is the oldest one used among home range analysis methods ( Burt, 1943; Mohr, 1947), being the smallest convex polygon that encompasses all the lion locations, either using all the locations (MCP100%) or by first removing 5% of the outliers in the dataset (MCP95%) ( Powell, 2000 ). The coast is hot and very wet, with only a short dry season. Trees, grasses and bushes were heavy with raindrops and the bushveld was resonant with the noise of water dripping, flowing and surging. Download a GIS shapefile of the Cameroon geology and hydrogeology map. Lion prey species found in faecal samples classified in 10 groups and their respective proportions relative to frequency of occurrence. Large carnivores inhabiting ecosystems with heterogeneously distributed environmental resources with strong seasonal variations frequently employ opportunistic foraging strategies, often typified by seasonal switches in diet. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. No seasonal difference in male lion diet was detected, due to the prime importance of buffalo throughout the year. Our results also revealed that browsers such as kudu, giraffe and to a lesser extent small antelopes, which are less-dependent on surface-water, contribute more to lion diet in the early dry season when water sources are still widespread in the landscape. Leave a comment feeding locations) of African lions in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, a semi-arid African savanna structured by artificial waterholes. 1). Volcanic massifs from the Adamaoua to the Atlantic. 2009). More information is available in the report Groundwater in North and West Africa: Cameroon (1988) (see References section, below). Little is known of the Cretaceous lower aquifer, which is composed of the Hamadien Continental and the Continental Intercalaire, with fossil and highly mineralized groundwater (GWP 2013). Aggregation of herbivores at waterholes in the late dry season and wet season dispersion of herbivore herds, and particularly of buffalo herds, were expected to lead to pronounced seasonal foraging patterns for lions. We achieved an asymptote on species accumulation curves after 100 hair samples. Laboratoire de Biomtrie et Biologie Evolutive, CNRS UMR 5558, Universit Claude Bernard - Lyon 1, Bt Gregor Mendel, Villeurbanne, France, Affiliation: In neighbouring Yenga community (20 km from Mambele) where WWF also rehabilitated a stand tap, some residents cover a distance of more than 3 km to get water. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Semi-arid ecosystems are characterized by seasonal variations in surface-water and vegetation resources, with several implications for herbivores, and ultimately their predators. What Are The Specific Water Sources The Lions Exploit. Equatorial conditions in the south create no flood peaks per season (i.e., Lobe and Nyong). The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority is acknowledged for approving this research and for permission to publish this manuscript. From just 26 in 1954, their numbers have swelled to over 2,500. Sahara Desert A particularly beautiful and bountiful antelope with distinctive colouring, horns that outline a heart shape and immaculate white tummies, despite the dust. April 20, 2022 The river is fed by two major tributaries (Pende River and Ouham-Pende) and drains into Chari River. 2009). Tsavo Parks and Chyulu Hills Complex - Unesco. Cameroon is rich in national parks and wildlife reserves, including the Waza National Park in the north (which contains both forest and savanna animals), the Dja Faunal Reserve (a UNESCO World Heritage site), and the Campo Ma'an National Park in the southwest (which has elephants, hippos, leopards, and plenty of primates). Many elderly people prefer the taste of the spring water to that of stand taps. The deeper Cretaceous sandstones also form an important aquifer, hydraulically separated from the overlying Plio-Quaternary by mudstones. 2009. Notwithstanding the fact that lions had visited the site, lion kills were confirmed using several supporting indicators including: lion tracks, hair and faeces, indications of a struggle visible in broken and trampled vegetation, the positioning of the carcass remains and the condition of any remaining hide bearing claw and bite marks typical of lion predation. Has its source in the water quality in Cameroon, the Lion Fund! The access rate to fresh water is still low and far from the millennium's goal target (43,9%); the rate of water sanitation and hygiene is worse (36%). Marion Valeix, For full functionality of this site, please enable JavaScript. Volcanic centres form moderately to highly productive fractured/weathered aquifers. Water dependence varies between herbivore species [11], [13] but most species need to access drinking water on a few-day basis at the peak of the dry season, and herbivore aggregations frequently form around permanent water sources during dry seasons, as non-permanent sources further afield dry up [14], [15]. Koum, Babouri-Figuil, Mayo Oulo, Mayo Sorawel, Mamf, Bamusso and Djerem basins. Generally sodium-bicarbonate or iron/magnesium/calcium-bicarbonate type. Funding: The work was supported by the Darwin Initiative for Biodiversity, Disney Wildlife Conservation Foundation, SAVE Foundation, Regina B. Frankenberg Foundation the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation and Instalite Contracting Bulawayo. Samples were washed, sieved and sun dried to remove organic matter, and spread in a grid sampling tray. Seasonal Water Sources; Seasonal Water Sources. This is consistent with previous findings suggesting that female lion home range size was constrained by the abundance of kudu in the early dry season [40]. Across-ecosystems, comparisons of large mammalian carnivore diet have now provided a good understanding of the preferred prey weight range of several carnivore species [6][8], but local studies are still needed to unravel the role of environmental factors and prey availability. They pronk: bounce with all four feet alternatively on and off the ground, for what seems to be pure joy. 2013. Where is the Republic of Cameroon located in the world? Much of Cameroons energy comes from hydroelectric power from rivers in the south of the country, with the remainder from oil-powered power stations. The two aquifers are separated by mudstones of the Nkappa formation. Recent advances in GPS technology has allowed non invasive carcass observations and faecal analysis to gain increasing knowledge on large mammalian carnivores diet [3], [4], and has also permitted to study the spatial distribution of kills providing important information for predator-prey relationships [5]. Kill investigation to study carnivore diet is biased towards larger species that are easier to detect using GPS data since predators will stay longer at a the kill of a larger prey animal, and using carcasses alone clearly underestimates the number of feeding events on small species, sometimes up to 50% [3], [4]. We were horrified seeing first hand the daily struggle for survival these precious women faced and our hearts went out to them. Therefore, we are compelled to go the distance just to satisfy them, Lydie explains. British Geological Survey. Some urban centres widely use groundwater, including Douala. These are dominantly basalts, with occasional intermediate to acidic phonolites, trachytes and rhyolites, and some loose pyroclastic and tuffaceous ash on the flanks of the volcanic centres. The frequency of occurrence of species in the faecal dataset was highest for kudu (24%) followed by buffalo and medium Bovidae (each representing 18%; the medium Bovidae class is dominated by sable and eland for faecal data), small antelopes (17%), and giraffe (7%) collectively contributing 84% of the species found in faecal samples (Table 2). Accessed [date you accessed the information]. Quantifying predator diets is an essential step to understand not only predator ecology, but also the influence that predators have on their prey populations [1], [2]. Botswana is a water stress country which has fresh water resources between 1000-1700m 3 per person per year [1] [2] [3]. cameroon water resources for lions. Felix Murindagomo, 2006. Cameroon: Water source sustains community, 1986 Panda Symbol WWF World Wide Fund For Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund). 23 Views. Adult female mass for the different prey categories was 2275 kg for elephant (Loxodonta africana), 828 kg for giraffe, 513 kg for buffalo, 302 kg for zebra, 273 kg for the class medium Bovidae (see composition in Table 2), 157 kg for kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), 56 kg for the class Suidae (see composition in Table 2), and 11 kg for small antelopes (see composition in Table 2). We systematically searched for potential lion kill sites by identifying clusters of x:y location coordinates including 4 hours of sequential locations within a defined proximity (150 m), and these were then investigated on foot (see also [4], [24]). The uppermost sandy layer is hydraulically connected with brackish waters in the Wouri estuary, and saline waters of the coastal wetlands. What Are The Specific Water Sources The Lions Exploit. Frequency of use (in both kills and faeces) and selection index of kudu in the early dry season highlight the importance of this species to lion female diet. Prey species proportional biomass contributing to lion diet, as detected from kills, faecal samples and observed hunts. . Cameroons location on the atlantic coast in central africa between latitude 2 and 13north, has a huge and diversified water resources potential. Favourable soils and climate have allowed plantation agriculture to flourish, with extensive export of cash crops, including coffee and cocoa. The prey items detected were categorised similarly to the prey detected from the kills. The Project was supported by the Eppley Foundation, Panthera Foundation and the kind generosity of Rivington and Joan Winant, Adrian Gardiner and the Lilian Jean Kaplan Foundation. 1). Borehole yields are usually 1 to 3 m/hour, in the region of the Mandara mountains, but can rarely reach 30 m/hour in places in the Kribi region, associated with large faults (UN 1988). Smithsonian's national zoo curtin 4 sources and specific techniques used in african history: The black umfolozi river is a good area to keep an eye out for cats, there is lots to eat. However, water quality in Cameroon has improved in the last decade. A number of agreements and cooperative activities exist between these countries (e.g Alker 2008). Dots represent data outside this range. Water is artificially supplied to some waterholes during the dry season (40 in the study area). Since the 1980s, the government has followed policies of structural adjustment and privatisation lauded by international donors and development partners. Pressure around the source remained constant until WWF rehabilitated stand taps in Mambele and five other communities in 2017, providing the population greater access to water. Dashed and dotted lines indicate mean proportions in the amalgamated kills for males and females respectively. Lions of the okavango delta. In the 19th century, soldiers of the Fulani Empire founded the Adamawa Amirate in the north of present-day Cameroon, while various other chiefdoms held power across other parts of the country. This study revealed seasonal patterns in secondary prey consumption by female lions partly based on prey ecology with browsers, such as giraffe and kudu, mainly consumed in the early dry season, and grazers, such as zebra and suids, contributing more to female diet in the late dry season. Effect of diffuse recharge and wastewater on groundwater contamination in Douala, Cameroon. 2017) and organic pollution (Sanou et al. Cameroon What Are The Specific Water Sources The Lions Exploit? In our case this is particularly true for the class small antelopes. For more information on the map see the, Land Cover Map of Cameroon, from the European Space Agency GlobCover 2.3, 2009. Alker M. 2008. Then-Gov. What water sources do lions exploit in zimbabwemaryland lacrosse camps 2021 Subscribe to the texas a&m today newsletter for the latest news and stories every week. What are specific water sources the Lions exploit? The few kills recorded for these species were distant from waterholes, suggesting that lions may feed on small antelopes opportunistically as they are encountered in the environment. The city of Harare is supplied with water from Lakes Chivero and Darwendale or Manyame river, Seke and Harava dams on the outskirts of the city. 2018. Seasonal surface-water dynamics thus, influences the probability which predators can find prey and is likely to have several consequences for the ecology of predator-prey interactions. Performed the experiments: ZD JEH FVK. 1). Altitude varies from 800 m to 1100 m and rainfall data were available from 1918 to 2007. The majority of the population is employed in agriculture, much of it at subsistence scale with surplus produce sold in local markets. As a country in Africa, Cameroon is situated just between the Central and Western Regions of Africa. This allows conversations they can hear for 100km further than normal. The dominant land cover in the northern lowland region is savanna scrub and grass. From buffalo to hippo and even adult elephant the there are prides that have adapted to preying on all. There are a number of natural lakes in Cameroon. Like the continent includes the islands of Cape Verde, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, and thus! Cameroon has a dense network of perennial rivers. This is generally un-metamorphosed, and made up of tillites with sandstones and schist intersected by granitic intrusions (the Lower Dja series). In more rural areas, people walk great distances just to reach rivers. Andrew J. Loveridge, For females, buffalo were followed by kudu (16%), the class medium Bovidae (13%), giraffe (12%), zebra (9%) and elephant (8%), together accounting for 91% of the prey detected (Table 1). Because of this water activity the front quarters of the Okavango Delta lions are more developed than those of other lions.

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