Activity Budgets and Time Treatments of Lion (<i>Panthera leo</i>) Cubs under Human Imprinting at Antelope Park, Gweru, Zimbabwe

Abstract

In African Lions Panthera leo , human imprinting was suggested as one option of pre-release training of orphaned cubs, but success of this option has rarely been explored. This study assesses the success of human imprinting on captive-bred lion cubs at Antelope Park in Gweru, Zimbabwe. Activity diversity, activity budgets and response to non-wild objects were compared in three levels of human imprinting (high, medium and low) using the focal technique. Six lion cubs were used for this study (two in each imprinting category). Data were collected during early morning, mid-morning and late afternoon sessions from October to November 2011. In the three levels of human imprinting, resting and locomotion had the largest proportion of time compared to playing, visual exploration, feeding, human interaction and hunting. Lion cubs with low imprinting displayed the most “hunting instincts” and aggressive behaviour toward humans and vehicles, compared to those with high and medium imprinting levels. At the age of the cubs under study (9-13 months) hunting was not expected to be successful, but the display of some hunting instincts was encouraging in the high and medium imprinted cubs. Although the small sample size used in this study and the need to continue monitoring the cubs restrict conclusions that can be made from this assessment, such early signs of the success of human imprinting could be encouraging for human imprinting.