In the beginning

Animal behaviour has been in constant mode of change for millennia, the most radical of which was when the first creature left the water for the first time. Change in behaviour is determined by changing conditions, be they climatic or geomorphic. Many of these changes have occurred in the past two hundred years.

Population problem

Africa is a continent with one of the highest human population growth rates in the world. As a result, more land is needed each year to provide for this rapid growth. This in turn results in the shrinking of ranges of natural areas for wildlife. Historically African people lived in communion with the wilderness but with colonialism came western influences and new ethics, the most dangerous been materialism.

Pay to stay

Today it is believed that the wilderness must pay to stay. With over-population and hunger as constant threats in Africa many people subscribe to this philosophy. On the negative side, placing a value on wildlife has opened up the illegal trade in animal products, hereby putting some species in danger of extinction.

Unless there is a major shift in human consciousness the present mentality will govern the way forward in conservation.

Animal movement

With the the increase clamour for land in Africa wilderness areas are shrinking. Animals traditionally moved unhindered by fences and human settlements but today the movements have been restricted to conserved areas. Game reserves and national parks have set up wildlife management policies to protect these preserved areas.

As part of the management plan artificial waterholes are set up to provide water during the dry season, a season where game would historically have moved vast distances in search of water. This has tempered part of the animals’ survival instinct as water is now permanent throughout the year.

Fences of death

Fences have stopped the migrations of many species, mainly in southern Africa, and have changed the behaviour of animals dramatically. The vast herds of springbok of two hundred years ago, that would take days to pass a point, have been wiped out. These days, springbok are non migratory animals occurring in small herds on farms and protected game areas.

Where's your passport, mammal?

Veterinary control fences set up to adhere to foreign export laws have played havoc with the wild herds of Botswana. The laws are to stop wildlife moving into areas of domestic stock to prevent the transferring of diseases.

Until thirty years ago large herds of wildebeest migrated between the central Kalahari region and the Okavango Delta; this was before a fence was erected on the northern boundary of the central Kalahari region.

The fence was erected whilst the animals were in the drier south. With their first movement north the animals were pinned against the fence. Faced with thirst and starvation hundreds of thousands died. Since then, the wildebeest population in Botswana has dropped by 90%. The remaining 10% have adapted to a new non-migratory existence. This adaptation has helped the wildebeest numbers become stable.

Adaptation

Animals adapt quickly to situations and with the increase in human impact on the environment certain species benefit from human involvement.

Hyenas, monkeys and baboons are known to become pests around lodges and campsites by raiding kitchens, dustbins and even breaking into vehicles in search of food. A garbage dump is easy pickings and this often leads to some animals becoming reliant on humans for their survival. Animals also learn survival skills when humans retaliate.

One of the most noteworthy examples of adaptation to human persecution is the black-backed jackal in South Africa. The jackal preys on the young of small stock on farms and is mercilessly persecuted and yet it still survives. Classified as a problem animal the jackal has adapted to a nocturnal and secretive existence evading even the most elaborate attempts at capture.

Of dinosaurs and new challenges

In history there have been major climatic and geographic changes that have occurred on earth. Why whole groups of species have gone extinct (such as dinosaurs) cannot be determined.

There is however growing consensus that there seems to have been a geomorphic change such as a major earthquake or a massive flood. Climatic change such as the ice age explains the extinction of other species. Sadly, Man has added to the 'major change' phenomenon.

Climatic and geomorphic changes are happening today, subtly changing the conditions on earth. What happens after these major events is that species would need to adapt to the new environment. Those that survive do so by adapting to the new challenges.

Places of change

The Serengeti

The nutritious southern plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania are the result of lava deposits from volcanic eruptions of Ngorongoro and surrounding volcanoes.

Rich soils were then deposited on the lava which in turn provided nutrients to shallow rooted plants such as grasses which are now the birthing grounds of the great migration.

Okavango

Aerial photographs of northern Botswana show how the Okavango Delta has changed over time. The fossil floodplains indicate a once larger body of water and/or a shift in the location of the delta over time.

The incidents of termite mounds in areas of the permanent delta today indicate that at times the delta has experienced exceptionally dry periods. These factors will all have had an affect on the behaviour of animals at the time.

Savuti

The Savuti system is an example of recent geomorphic change. Once part of the greater lake system that included the Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi Pans the Savuti has experienced a great deal of recent change. The system today is dry, but it may start flowing again at any time.

In the past two hundred years the Savuti system has flowed and stopped four times for varying periods. It last flowed in 1981. When the channel flows it provides a lifeline for animals in the dry season but today vast herds gather on the nutrient plains of the Savuti Marsh in the wet season. This is an example of a recent geomorphic change that animals have had to adapt to.

Elephant killers: Evolution or old-fact?

We have our ideas as to how animals should behave but often exceptional behaviour occurs. Is this behaviour chance or a hidden trait from the past that has not been observed before by biologists? Is it a trait that arose under extreme climatic occurrences and then settled when conditions improved?

In the aforementioned Savuti there is a pride of lions that has adapted to killing adult elephants, behaviour that had never before been recorded. There were records of lions killing young, and ill elephants but to specialize in killing adults was unheard of.

Was this a chance development or merely the surfacing of a long-hidden ancestral trait? Could it simply be that the lions developed a liking for elephant meat from feeding on a carcass or killing a young one. Did they then develop their killing strategy over the seasons to eventually be confident enough to kill adult elephants? This theory shakes the romantic ideal of animal behaviour that is strived for by humans today!