Co-occurrence of black-backed jackal and caracal in the Karoo, South Africa

Abstract

Livestock production in drylands has greatly altered ecosystem level processes, including the interactions between sympatric species. Management of livestock predation on farms requires an acute understanding of predator species' ecology, including their intraguild interactions. In this study, we used camera trapping to investigate black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) and caracal (Caracal) spatiotemporal overlap on different land-uses (viz., public and private protected areas, and a neighbouring group of small-livestock farms) in the Karoo, South Africa. We also used questionnaires to understand how local small-livestock farmers perceive factors influencing changes in the abundance of black-backed jackal and caracal and the trophic relationship between them. Black-backed jackal and caracal spatiotemporal overlap was high, largely independent of land-use, and positively influenced by the presence of the other species. Black-backed jackal had higher overall occurrence than caracal, and caracal were more likely to occur on farmland than either protected area. Farmers acknowledged that mesopredators may benefit from the absence of apex predators on farmlands and that black-backed jackal populations had increased more than caracal in recent times. However, farmers were less certain as to how mesopredators interact, whether they suppress one another and how their interactions may influence the perceived increase in both species’ abundance.