Help Protect Free Roaming Lions in Southern Africa

SACT – Collar a Lion – Q4 – 2025 Report

Overview:

Over the past few months, much of the collaring efforts have shifted from Hwange NP in Zimbabwe to parks in South Africa.  This has been in part, due to some administrative issues making it more challenging to conduct this project in Hwange. The work in South Africa has been conducted in partnership with researchers and conservationists at Nelson Mandela University.   Recent activities have taken place in Marakele National Park (part of SANParks). The three satellite collars sponsored by SACT have been used to replace aging collars in 2 prides.

Purpose of Collar Replacements

Two resident prides in Marakele NP—the Kingfisher Pride and the Eastern Pride—held

collars originally purchased under my NRF grant. Both collars showed rapidly declining

battery life, risking data loss and compromised monitoring. Maintaining uninterrupted

Tracking is essential for:

• Mapping core and peripheral territories

• Detecting boundary shifts and contest events

• Understanding the dynamics of breakaway groups

• Supporting SANParks/Marataba in proactive management responses should lions

approach boundary areas

The latest activities are summarized below:

Kingfisher Pride – Collar Replacement Completed

• Animal: Adult female (ID: MM Kingfisher Female)

• Old collar: NRF-funded AWT model (battery near end-of-life)

• New collar fitted: SAT10762

• Status: Successful.

• Notes: The lioness was in good condition, immobilization and fitment were

routine, and the collar is transmitting hourly GPS fixes as programmed. Marakele NP – Lion collaring field report Nov 2025

Eastern Pride Breakaway Group – New Collar Deployment

• Animal: Adult lioness from the Eastern breakaway pride

• Collar fitted: SAT10761

• This female represents an important component of an emerging sub-unit within

Eastern Pride, information central to our work on pride fission, resource

competition, and territorial pressure in fenced systems

• Status: Successful. Collar is performing well.

• Notes: The lioness was in good condition, immobilization and fitment were

routine, and the collar is transmitting hourly GPS fixes as programmed. The female

was lactating, so she has cubs at the moment. This was confirmed by the staff.

Eastern Pride (Main Pride) – Collar Replacement Pending

• Target animal: Adult female (collared under NRF funding)

• This lioness is currently occupying steep and inaccessible mountain terrain in the

northern portion of Marakele NP.

• Assigned collar: SAT10760

• Plan: The Marataba Conservation Team will replace the collar at the next safe

access opportunity when she descends from the escarpment.

• Expected timeframe: As terrain use opens, typically within the next 1–8 weeks. Marakele NP – Lion collaring field report Nov 2025

Importance of These Collars to the Research Program

The three SACT-sponsored collars are strategically placed to:

• Maintain continuous monitoring in two key prides where territory boundaries,

overlap patterns, and group cohesion are under active study.

• Track a newly emerging breakaway group, which provides rare and valuable data

on pride fission in fenced parks, one of the least understood behavioral

processes affecting population stability.

• Serve as reference animals for upcoming playback experiments and stress

analyses (Objectives 2–4 of the project)

• Support Marakele NP’s management needs, particularly early-warning of any

pride or coalition movement toward boundary areas. Marakele NP – Lion collaring field report Nov 2025

These deployments directly strengthen SACT’s mission of using technology to reduce

potential human–lion conflict and to inform better management decisions in constrained landscapes.

• Report & photos of collaring team in action (PDF)
  

Despite having a number of challenges this past quarter, it marked the deployment of two mobile tracking teams across the northern and eastern boundaries of the reserve. These teams operated in shifts to maximize observation opportunities, combining direct sightings with motion-sensitive cameras and tracking the signals emitted from previously collared individuals.

• Number of lions collared this quarter: 4 adult lions (2 males, 2 females)
• Total lions collared to date: 11
• New tracking equipment deployed: 6 GPS collars with solar recharging capability

The collaring process follows stringent animal welfare protocols. Each lion is tranquilized under veterinary supervision and monitored post-procedure for recovery. GPS collars are optimized for comfort and durability, minimizing any disruption to natural behaviors.

Data gathered from the GPS collars is uploaded daily to SACT’s secure cloud database. This quarter, over 2,100 location points were recorded, allowing for enhanced mapping of territorial ranges and preferred hunting grounds.

Key findings:

• Average daily range: Male lions: 18 km; Female lions: 14 km
• Notable movement: One male traversed over 60 km in a 48-hour period during a dispersal event.
• Social structure: Data confirms fluid pride composition, with two females integrating into a neighboring pride.

SACT’s data analysts have begun correlating lion movement with weather patterns and prey abundance, revealing a preference for shaded riverine woodland during peak heat.

Recognizing the importance of local support, SACT organized three community workshops in partnership with village leaders. Topics covered included lion ecology, the importance of tracking, and conflict mitigation strategies. Attendance averaged 35 participants per workshop.

Additional outreach efforts included:

• Distribution of educational brochures to four local schools
• Radio segments featuring SACT biologists
• Establishment of a reporting hotline for lion sightings outside the reserve

Despite many successes, the project encountered several hurdles:

• Collaring Difficulties: Dense vegetation and unpredictable lion behavior necessitated longer tracking periods.
• Technical Issues: Two GPS collars experienced intermittent signal loss due to terrain interference; both were recalibrated remotely.
• Poaching and unauthorized hunting resulted in the death of 2 collared lions. This is becoming worrisome. We plan to work more closely with park ranger and anti-poaching teams.
• Collar an additional 5 lions, aiming for representation from smaller prides
• Expand community engagement to two new villages, focusing on youth education
• Strengthen collaborations with local ranger teams

Plans for Next Quarter: Looking forward, SACT intends to:

See maps & photos below:

• Q3 2025 report with maps (PDF)