Browsing by UP Author "Somers, Michael J."

Browsing by UP Author "Somers, Michael J."

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  • Animal welfare considerations for using large carnivores and guardian dogs as vertebrate biocontrol tools against other animals 
    Allen, Benjamin L.; Allen, Lee R.; Ballard, Guy; Drouilly, Marine; Fleming, Peter J.S.; Hampton, Jordan O.; Hayward, Matt W.; Kerley, Graham I.H.; Meek, Paul D.; Minnie, Liaan; O'Riain, M. Justin; Parker, Daniel M.; Somers, Michael J. (Elsevier, 2019-04)
    Introducing consumptive and non-consumptive effects into food webs can have profound effects on individuals, populations and communities. This knowledge has led to the deliberate use of predation and/or fear of predation ...
  • Are we sinking African cheetahs in India? 
    Marnewick, Kelly A.; Somers, Michael J.; Venter, Jan A.; Kerley, Graham I.H. (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2023-07)
    SIGNIFICANCE : The current initiative to export African cheetahs to India has a limited scientific basis, placing the Asian subspecies and the translocated animals at risk. There is no evidence that this will benefit ...
  • An assessment of spatial and temporal variation in the diet of Cape clawless otters (Aonyx capensis) in marine environments 
    Jordaan, Rowan Keith; McIntyre, Trevor; Somers, Michael J.; Bester, Marthan Nieuwoudt (Southern African Wildlife Management Association, 2015-10)
    We studied the diet of Cape clawless otters (Aonyx capensis) at three sites along the eastern and southern coast of South Africa to assess possible spatial variation along a community species richness and biomass gradient ...
  • Bringing objectivity to wildlife management : welfare effects of guardian dogs 
    Allen, Benjamin L.; Allen, Lee R.; Ballard, Guy; Drouilly, Marine; Fleming, Peter J.S.; Hampton, Jordan O.; Hayward, Matt W.; Kerley, Graham I.H.; Meek, Paul D.; Minnie, Liaan; O'Riain, M. Justin; Parker, Daniel M.; Somers, Michael J. (Elsevier, 2019-08)
    The use of large carnivores and guardian dogs as biocontrol tools against other animals is increasingly recommended despite an absence of assessments of their welfare effects. We provided the first attempt at such an ...
  • Building assessment practice and lessons from the scientific assessment on livestock predation in South Africa 
    Kerley, Graham I.H.; Behrens, Kevin G.; Carruthers, Jane; Diemont, Marius; Du Plessis, Jurie; Minnie, Liaan; Somers, Michael J.; Tambling, Craig J.; Turpie, Jane; Wilson, Sharon; Balfour, Dave (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2019-05-29)
    After at least two millennia of human–wildlife conflict over the predation of livestock in South Africa1, the recently completed scientific assessment on livestock predation2 (PredSA) brings the power of a formal ...
  • Changes in African elephant (Loxodonta africana) faecal steroid concentrations post-defaecation 
    Webber, Judith T.; Henley, Michelle D.; Pretorius, Yolanda; Somers, Michael J.; Ganswindt, Andre (AOSIS Open Journals, 2018-06-12)
    BACKGROUND : Faecal hormone metabolite measurement is a widely used tool for monitoring reproductive function and response to stressors in wildlife. Despite many advantages of this technique, the delay between defaecation, ...
  • Conflicting human interests over the re-introduction of endangered wild dogs in South Africa 
    Gusset, Markus; Maddock, Anthony H.; Gunther, Glenn J.; Szykman, Micaela; Slotow, Robert; Walters, Michele; Somers, Michael J. (Springer, 2008)
    In South Africa, a plan was launched to manage separate sub-populations of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in several small, geographically isolated, conservation areas as a single meta-population. This intensive ...
  • Conservation implications of brown hyaena (Parahyaena brunnea) population densities and distribution across landscapes in Botswana 
    Winterbach, Christiaan W.; Maude, Glyn; Neo-Mahupeleng, Gosiame; Klein, Rebecca; Boast, Lorraine; Rich, Lindsey N.; Somers, Michael J. (AOSIS Open Journals, 2017-05-23)
    The brown hyaena (Parahyaena brunnea) is endemic to southern Africa. The largest population of this near-threatened species occurs in Botswana, but limited data were available to assess distribution and density. Our ...
  • Dancing to the message : African clawless otter scent marking behaviour 
    Jordaan, Rowan Keith; Somers, Michael J.; McIntyre, Trevor (Associazione Teriologica Italiana, 2017-09-04)
    Latrine use and behaviour at latrines have been studied in numerous otter species, but not African clawless otters, Aonyx capensis. We set up trail cameras at two latrines near Dullstroom, South Africa. On several ...
  • Deconstructing compassionate conservation 
    Hayward, Matt W.; Callen, Alex; Allen, Benjamin L.; Ballard, Guy; Broekhuis, Femke; Bugir, Cassandra K.; Clarke, Rohan H.; Clulow, John; Clulow, Simon; Daltry, Jennifer C.; Davies-Mostert, Harriet T.; Fleming, Peter J.S.; Griffin, Andrea S.; Howell, Lachlan G.; Kerley, Graham I.H.; Klop-Toker, Kaya L.; Legge, Sarah; Major, Tom; Meyer, Ninon; Montgomery, Robert A.; Moseby, Katherine; Parker, Daniel M.; Periquet, Stephanie; Read, John; Scanlon, Robert J.; Seeto, Rebecca G.Y.; Shuttleworth, Craig M.; Somers, Michael J.; Tamessar, Cottrell T.; Tuft, Katherine; Upton, Rose M.O.; Valenzuela-Molina, Marcia; Wayne, Adrian; Witt, Ryan R.; Wuster, Wolfgang (Wiley, 2019-08)
    Compassionate conservation focuses on 4 tenets: first, do no harm; individuals matter; inclusivity of individual animals; and peaceful coexistence between humans and animals. Recently, compassionate conservation has been ...
  • Density of leopards Panthera pardus on protected and non-protected land in the Waterberg Biosphere, South Africa 
    Swanepoel, Lourens Hendrik; Somers, Michael J.; Dalerum, Fredrik (Nordic Council for Wildlife Research, 2015)
    Data on the population size and trends of large carnivores remains the cornerstone of effective management and conservation programs. However, such data are rarely available for the majority of large carnivore species. ...
  • Density, body size and sex ratio of an indigenous spider along an altitudinal gradient in the sub-Antarctic 
    Lee, Jennifer E.; Somers, Michael J.; Chown, Steven Loudon (Cambridge University Press, 2012)
    Although spiders are a diverse and ecologically important group of predators across the sub-Antarctic islands, relatively little is known about their biology. Here we provide data on the abundance, body size variation ...
  • The determinants of mesocarnivore activity patterns in highveld grassland and riparian habitats 
    Webster, A.B. (Andrea); Pretorius, Mariette Estelle; Somers, Michael J. (Southern African Wildlife Management Association, 2021-12)
    Despite the diversity of mesocarnivores and the broad geographic ranges of these species, our understanding of their behaviour and ecology at multi-species and community levels is limited. Our study was conducted between ...
  • The diet and presence of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) on private land in the Waterberg region, South Africa 
    Ramnanan, Rivonia; Swanepoel, Lourens Hendrik; Somers, Michael J. (Southern African Wildlife Management Association, 2013-04)
    African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) populations and their geographic distributions have been greatly reduced due to direct human persecution and habitat reduction; however, remnant groups still manage to persist on private ...
  • Diet of otters (Lutra lutra) in various habitat types in the Pannonian biogeographical region compared to other regions of Europe 
    Lanszki, Jozsef; Lehoczky, Istvan; Kotze, Antoinette; Somers, Michael J. (PeerJ, 2016-08-18)
    Knowledge of the effect of habitat type and region on diet and feeding behaviours of a species facilitates a better understanding of factors impacting populations, which contributes to effective conservation management. ...
  • The diet of spotted-necked otters foraging in trout-stocked waters in Mpumalanga, South Africa 
    Jordaan, Rowan Keith; Somers, Michael J.; Hall, Grant; McIntyre, Trevor (NISC (Pty) Ltd and Informa UK Limited (trading as Taylor and Francis Group), 2020)
    Human-wildlife conflict is likely to increase as urbanisation increases. African clawless otters, Aonyx capensis, and spotted-necked otters, Hydrictis maculicollis, are illegally persecuted for their perceived role in ...
  • Diet of the marsh mongoose around a non-permanent reservoir : response of a generalist opportunist forager to the absence of crabs 
    Linh San, Emmanuel Do; Nqinana, Aviwe; Madikiza, Zimkitha J.K.; Somers, Michael J. (NISC (Pty) Ltd and Informa UK Limited (trading as Taylor and Francis Group), 2020)
    The diet of the marsh or water mongoose Atilax paludinosus has been well studied in coastal and inland riverine habitats, where crabs often constitute the main prey in terms of frequency of occurrence. We investigated the ...
  • Distribution and habitat choice of Cape clawless otters Aonyx capensis in South Africa 
    Nel, J.A.J.; Somers, Michael J. (The Southern African Wildlife Management Association, 2007-05)
    Cape clawless otters, Aonyx capensis,are widely distributed in South Africa, as elsewhere on the continent. They occur in a wide variety of environments and most aquatic habitats, from freshwater lakes to the marine ...
  • Effects of prescribed burning and mechanical bush clearing on ungulate space use in an African savannah 
    Isaacs, Lisa; Somers, Michael J.; Dalerum, Fredrik (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013-03)
    Savannah ecosystems exhibit constant transitions between states dominated by trees and states dominated by a combination of trees and grasses. Transitions between these states are driven by interactions between fire and ...
  • Efforts going to the dogs? Evaluating attempts to re-introduce endangered wild dogs in South Africa 
    Gusset, Markus; Ryan, Sadie J.; Hofmeyr, Markus; Van Dyk, Gus; Davies-Mostert, Harriet T.; Graf, Jan A.; Owen, Cailey; Szykman, Micaela; Macdonald, David W.; Monfort, Steven L.; Wildt, David E.; Maddock, Anthony H.; Mills, Michael G.L. (Gus); Slotow, Robert; Somers, Michael J. (Blackwell, 2008)
    We evaluated one of the most extensive efforts to date to re-introduce an endangered species: attempts to establish an actively managed meta-population of African wild dogs Lycaon pictus in South Africa. Using an ...