Does captivity influence territorial and hunting behaviour? Assessment for an ex situ reintroduction program of African lions Panthera leo

Maintaining a territory and being able to hunt are imperative for the success of African lion Panthera leo prides. We aimed to determine whether captive-origin prides display similar territorial and hunting behaviour to wild lions. Behaviours and locations of two captive-origin prides and one wild pride were collected through direct observation. All prides established territories, and core areas corresponded to resource requirements. There was no evidence that pride origin affected territorial or hunting behaviour. Captive-origin prides exhibited behaviours that lead us to be optimistic about each pride's ability to establish and defend a territory successfully, and to hunt, following reintroduction.