Although determining the abundance of large carnivores is inherently challenging (Balme, Hunter & Slotow 2009), knowing the size of large carnivore populations in protected areas is invaluable in guiding strategic conservation action and management decisions (Mills 1991). If repeated over time, surveys provide estimates of trends, which in large carnivore studies are often difficult to achieve, but are invaluable for conservation managers (Packer et al. 2005, 2011). Moreover, large carnivore density trends are a reflection of prey densities and anthropogenic influences and therefore serve respectively as a useful indicator of ecological health and human impact.