Between 2011 and 2012, the carnivore guild in Majete Wildlife Reserve (MWR), Malawi, was restored following the reintroduction of lion (Panthera leo) and leopard (Panthera pardus). The aim of this study was to describe and compare the diet of lion, leopard and resident spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) using scat analysis. Lions and spotted hyaenas displayed the greatest dietary overlap (O_ab = 0.88) and selected mainly medium‐ to large‐bodied prey species. Lions had a mean preferred prey weight of 120.33 ± 42.14 kg (SE), with warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) and waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) making up 60.64% of relative biomass consumed. Spotted hyaenas had a mean preferred prey weight of 102.40 ± 41.69 kg and had a more generalised diet (B_a = 0.46) compared to lions (B_a = 0.36). In contrast, leopards occupied a dietary niche substantially lower than that of lions and spotted hyaenas, selecting relatively smaller prey with a mean preferred prey weight of 27.50 ± 6.74 kg. Our results suggest that coexistence between the resident hyaena and reintroduced lion and leopard in MWR is facilitated by dietary partitioning. We advise long‐term monitoring of reintroduced carnivores in small, enclosed reserves to assess their impacts on predator and prey populations.

中文翻译：

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马拉维Majete野生动物保护区中三种大型食肉动物的饮食分配

在2011年至2012年之间，由于重新引入了狮子（Panthera leo）和豹（Panthera pardus），马拉维Majete野生动物保护区（MWR）的食肉动物行会得以恢复。这项研究的目的是使用粪便分析法来描述和比较狮子，豹子和斑斑鬣狗（Crocuta crocuta）的饮食。狮子和斑点鬣狗的饮食重叠最大（O _ab  = 0.88），并且主要选择中型到大型的猎物。狮子的平均首选猎物重量为120.33±42.14千克（SE），其中疣猪（Phacochoerus africanus）和water（Kobus ellipsiprymnus）占相对生物量消耗的60.64％。斑点鬣狗的平均首选猎物重量为102.40±41.69 kg， 与狮子（B _a  = 0.36）相比，其饮食更为普遍（B _a = 0.46 ）。相比之下，豹子的饮食生态位显着低于狮子和斑点鬣狗，选择相对较小的猎物，平均首选猎物重量为27.50±6.74 kg。我们的研究结果表明，饮食分区有助于居民鬣狗与再引入的狮子和豹在MWR中共存。我们建议对小型封闭保护区中重新引入的食肉动物进行长期监测，以评估其对食肉动物和猎物种群的影响。