The battery life on radio-collars is limited and so from time to time we need to change the collars on long-term study animals to make sure they don’t expire. The size of the battery determines the length of its life, so we have to find the best trade off between the weight of the collar and the frequency with which we need to dart the animal. A very large battery may last for a long time, but could be cumbersome to the collared animal, whereas a very small one may mean having to use anaesthetics more than we would like. The collars we use on lions last about 18-24 months and are small enough that we are confident they do not bother the cats, but this is a long time period during which no further interference is necessary.

Just recently we had Dr Peter Brothers, a wildlife vet, on the reserve and so took the opportunity to change some of the collars that were approaching the end of their lives. Two male lions, Blade and Subipe, had their collars changed, along with one of the subordinate female wild dogs. We maximise the opportunity of having the lions and wild dogs under anaesthetic and take blood samples and check on the general condition of the animals. There has been an outbreak of suspected rabies in the area, so we took the precaution of vaccinating the wild dog pack. Due to their highly social nature, wild dogs are susceptible to infectious diseases and whole packs can be wiped out. There is another pack of wild dogs just over the border in Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana, where some of the suspected cases of rabies have been reported, which has also been vaccinated against the disease.

In order to anaesthetise the lions to allow us to change their collars, we need to approach them in a vehicle to a distance of about 20m, then a dart filled with the drug is shot from a specially designed air-gun into the rump of the animal. There is quite a skill in shooting the dart hard enough to be accurate, and softly enough not to have more of an impact than is necessary. The rump is the target as it is the biggest muscle mass with the least chance of hitting bone. After the dart has found its mark, we wait until we can see the lion has gone to sleep (then wait a little more just to be sure), and approach carefully from behind it to check it is fully out. The heart-rate is monitored, and the eyes covered for protection while the necessary work is carried out. On hot days such as we have been having recently, we spray water over the sleeping animal in order to prevent them from overheating. When everything is completed, an anti-dote to the anaesthetic is injected and we wait from the safety of our vehicles to see that the lion comes round and walks off. They usually look a little dazed and confused to begin with but are back to their normal selves very quickly. Darting of animals should only be carried out by skilled vets and so we offer our sincere thanks to Dr Peter Brothers for his help.

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