With the kudu hunting season in full swing, scientists from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s Centre for African Conservation Ecology in Port Elizabeth have asked farmers to help them research the effect that hunters have on male kudu populations. According to the centre’s Krystal Raath, international research has shown that hunting has an impact on the structure and makeup of game populations.
This study focuses on kudu populations of the Eastern Cape. “We’d like farmers to send us the horn dimensions of all male kudus – big and small specimens – taken on their farms,” says Raath. “This will help us establish the differences between how biltong hunters and trophy hunters choose their bulls. We plan to compare these findings with recorded data on the measurements of bulls killed by lion in the Addo Elephant National Park. By joining the study, farmers can contribute towards better wildlife management.”
Horns should be measured according to the accompanying sketch below.
Contact Krystal Raath on 084 548 0717 or at [email protected].
