Study area
The study was conducted in the Hluhluwe section of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi
Park Park (900 km2), situated in Zululand, northern
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (28.2198° S, 31.9519° E). The park receives
rainfall ranging from 700 mm to 985 mm, usually in summer between
October-March (Boundja & Midgley, 2010). Most of the park is covered
with woodland savanna interspersed with shrub thicket. The majority of
habitats vary from semi-deciduous forest on the northern side (Hluhluwe
Game Reserve) to open savanna woodland (iMfolozi Game Reserve). The park
is managed by Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Wildlife, and is a wildlife
conservation area (Gray & Bond, 2013).