Notes on Movement by the Black-Backed Jackal and the Aardwolf in the Western Transvaal

Abstract

For some time there has been a need for information on the extent and direction of movement by the black-backed jackal Canis mesomelas in the Western Transvaal. This information was sought to try and establish the potential range of the jackal before any attempts are made to develop more sophisticated tracking devices such as telemetry. During the preliminary study some aardwolves Proteles cristatus were caught and a few of these animals yielded incidental information on movement by this species. The results presented here are admittedly fragmentary. However, they provide the first documented evidence of long-term movements by the two species concerned. As such they form a basis for further research.