The relationship between artificial food supply and natural food selection in two troops of commensal Hamadryas Baboons Papio hamadryas (Mammalia: Primates: Cercopithecidae) in Saudi Arabia

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Published: Oct 26, 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3348.9.10.10741-10756
Keywords:
Baboons, commensalism, feeding strategy, natural diet, Papio hamadryas, Saudi Arabia, human-wildlife conflict

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Ahmed Boug
Prince Saud Al Faisal Wildlife Research Center, PO Box 1086, Taif, Saudi Arabia
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5599-2401
M. Zafar-ul Islam
Prince Saud Al Faisal Wildlife Research Center, PO Box 1086, Taif, Saudi Arabia
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1823-553X
Toshitaka Iwamoto
Faculty of Education and Culture, University of Miyazaki, 1-1, Gakuen-Kibanadai-Nishi, Miyazaki-shi, Miyazaki, 889-2192
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3653-6283
Akio Mori
Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6104-3002
Akihiro Yamane
5 Division of Social Welfare, Department of Human Sciences, Seinan Gakuin University, 6-2-92, Nishijin, Fukuoka 814-8511, Japan
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7310-1505
Amy L. Schreier
Biology Department, Regis University, 3333 Regis Boulevard, Denver, CO, USA
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0379-3750

Abstract

The Hamadryas Baboon is the only nonhuman primate to inhabit the Arabian Peninsula.  In Saudi Arabia, Hamadryas Baboons are known to rely on both human and natural plant foods.  We examined the relationship between artificial food supply and natural food selection in two commensal hamadryas troops in different habitats in Saudi Arabia.  Alhada had richer vegetation, while the Dam Site featured ground vegetation heavily damaged by overgrazing.  The baboons’ diets, including dependency on artificial foods, reflected the status of the natural habitat.  The availability of fresh vegetation following significant rainfalls at both sites reduced the Baboons’ dependence on artificial foods. In the richer habitat, rainfall was significantly correlated with natural diet diversity and time spent feeding on natural foods.  Both troops spent more time feeding during periods of high provisioning of artificial food, and the percentage of feeding on natural foods decreased when provisioning was high.  The baboons fed on natural foods throughout the year despite the availability of human foods.  We suggest the need for a nutritionally balanced diet has kept the baboons from becoming completely dependent on human foods.  Effectively preserving natural vegetation should enable commensal baboons to spend more time feeding on natural foods, thereby reducing human-wildlife conflict. 

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 9 No. 10 (2017)
Section
Articles

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Author Biography

M. Zafar-ul Islam, Prince Saud Al Faisal Wildlife Research Center, PO Box 1086, Taif, Saudi Arabia

Field Research

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