| Academic Year | 2024-2025 |
| otranter01@qub.ac.uk | |
| Institution | Queen's University, Belfast |
Biography
School: School of Biological Sciences
Pronouns: she/her
Project: The challenges facing African lions: human and environmental impacts
Supervisors: Michael Scantlebury, Catherine Hambly, Nikki Marks & Ela Krol
Undergraduate Education: BSc Biological Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College
Postgraduate Education: MSc Wild Animal Biology, The Royal Veterinary College
Research: The rapid growth of urbanisation and anthropogenic stressors on African lions (Panthera leo) is negatively impacting population numbers and fragmenting their natural habitats for agricultural and communal use. While protected areas within national parks can help support isolated populations, they are also known to limit access to valued resources, mates and increase exposure to humans situated around the boarders. Lions have been recorded depredating on livestock outside these protected areas, resulting in retaliatory killings which further affect these small populations.
To protect the economic livelihoods of pastoralists while preventing population decline in lions, it is important to understand the ethological drivers of African lions and explore why they are predating on livestock over their preferred wild prey choice. This project will investigate African lion responses to seasonal changes in prey availability using stable isotope analysis, while monitoring their migratory patterns and hunting behaviours via camera traps, GPS telemetry and surveys. Understanding how behaviours change due to environmental stressors during wet and dry seasons, such as droughts and flooding, and viewing faecal glucocorticoid metabolites to further understand their stress physiology against these stressors may give insight into lion coping mechanisms and explain increases in livestock depredation.
Other:
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-tranter-msc
- Instagram: @oliviarose_phd
