The use of camera traps to study the role of the interactions between wildlife species in the potential maintenance and spread of diseases: a case study in Kruger National Park

Wildlife diseases represent a growing threat to biodiversity, livestock, and human health underscoring the need for a One Health approach. Integrated methods are required to fill knowledge gaps in wildlife communities’ characterization and pathogen dynamics within and among them. Camera trapping is an unobtrusive and cost-effective technique that provides valuable data on species presence in the ecosystem, especially important for globally endangered species like vultures, and on interspecific interactions. In this survey, several vulture species were recorded across several study sites in Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa, with the White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) most frequently detected. Additionally, performing Network Analysis of these datasets highlighted the complex community interactions and enabled hypotheses regarding the potential risk of the spread of infectious diseases, such as Tuberculosis, within the ecosystems. Species like impala (Aepyceros melampus), zebra (Equus quagga), cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), elephant (Loxodonta africana), warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), white-backed vulture and hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) showed the most statistically significative direct interactions within the networks, demonstrating to play a central role in the different surveyed ecosystems. Among the analysed sites, the most interconnected networks were situated in water-rich sites, and especially this was the case for the study area at Crocodile River. Future studies should extend surveys across different ecozones of KNP and the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA) to evaluate conservation measures outcomes for vulture species at a broader scale. Implementing Integrated Wildlife Monitoring (IWM), hence combining camera trapping and Network Analysis with active and passive pathogens surveillance on targeted wild species, will allow the planning of targeted management strategies for infectious diseases that threaten wildlife, livestock, and human health.