REPRODUCTIVE SEASONALITY IN KAFUE LECHWE ANTELOPE

Kafue lechwe antelope (Kobus leche kafuensis) inhabit a wetland area o f the Kafue Flats in southern Zambia and have seasonal peaks in mating and calving. The construction of a hydroelectric scheme has recently altered the time of year when flooding starts, and there has been a co rresponding change in peak mating and calving dates. In this study, Ka fue lechwe mated mainly during the dry part of the year when grass qua lity and quantity was at its lowest and when water levels were increas ing and thus inundating any potential food. As rising water levels cor responded with increases in numbers of oestrous females on leks (both before and after dam impoundment), and with increased mating rates in two other subspecies of lechwe (the black and red lechwe), floods appe ar to act as a proximate cue for the initiation of mating. Mating duri ng rises in water levels results in most calving occurring seven month s later (the gestation period) when the floodwaters are receding and e xposing optimal forage, irrespective of the time of year, and this inc reases the survival of the lactating mothers and their calves.