Faecal helminth egg and oocyst counts of a small population of African lions (&lt;i&gt;Panthera leo&lt;/i&gt;) in the southwestern Kalahari, Namibia : research communication

Y Smith,O.B Kok

doi:10.4102/ojvr.v73i1.171

Abstract

An endoparasite survey of a small pride of African lions (Panthera leo) was conducted at Intu Afrika Kalahari Game Reserve, southwestern Namibia, during winter and summer of 2003 and 2004, respectively. Overall, 23 fresh lion scats were collected opportunistically during fieldwork trials. A flotation technique was employed for the diagnosis of parasites. Three nematodes, Ancylostoma braziliense, Gnathostoma spinigerum and Uncinaria stenocephala and two coccidians, Toxoplasma gondii and Isospora felis were recorded. By using the McMaster method for quantification, a maximum number of 14866 oocysts per gram of faeces was obtained for I. felis during winter 2003. Endoparasite taxa carried by the different individuals in the pride were found to be related to their levels of association. Rates of infection were relatively low as a result of the habitat, semi-captive conditions and earlier sporadic deworming.

Highlights

Little data are available on the endoparasites carried by free-ranging African lions (Panthera leo) in the Kalahari Desert
The pride was held in a 500 ha enclosure on a private reserve, Intu Afrika Kalahari Game Reserve (24°33’ S, 18°31’ E), situated approximately 60 km Faecal helminth egg and oocyst counts of African lions (Panthera leo) in Namibia north-east of Mariental
With the exception of A. braziliense, all egg counts decreased from the winter to the summer trials (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Little data are available on the endoparasites carried by free-ranging African lions (Panthera leo) in the Kalahari Desert. What is available stems from East Africa (Müller-Graf 1995; Müller-Graf, Woolhouse & Packer 1999; Bjork, Averbeck & Stromberg 2000) or are anecdotal records from dead lions (Le Roux 1958; Rodgers 1974) or institutions where they were held captive. The endoparasitic taxa carried by each individual in the Accepted for publication 1 August 2005—Editor pride are influenced by how pride members associate, and by the general health of the individual, the size of the parasite suprapopulation as well as ecological factors. We report on the endoparasites of a small pride of lions in the southwestern Kalahari, Namibia, as determined by opportunistic collection of faeces during field observations

Methods

Results

Conclusion