Alternatives to Studying Anthropogenic Foraging
As part of his fieldwork with us in 2021 , PhD student Ben Walton gathered data on crop-raiding primates (chacma baboons and vervet monkeys) to determine whether camera traps and field guards could work as an alternative to direct researcher observation. In areas like Limpopo, South Africa, farmland has increasingly encroached into wild spaces and crop-raiding behaviour continues to lead to human-wildlife conflict with a negative impact on both humans and wildlife. Direct researcher observation is a commonly applied method, but for large areas (such as commercial farmland) and for studies that are long-term, it is not always the most practical method. This study found that camera traps and field guard observations were able to predict crop loss on commercial farmland. Therefore, in the future, farmers and researchers might be able to utilise camera traps and their employed field guards to monitor anthropogenic foraging by wild species. Ben will be joining us for a second field season in May 2022. You can read the full article here as well as find the links for our other ongoing research here.
The short-term effectiveness of various deterrents designed to reduce crop foraging by primates
Crop foraging is a major driver of negative interactions between farmers and wildlife. In this new paper, we investigate the effectiveness of six different methods designed to deter primates from crop foraging on commercial farms in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. We tested rubber snakes, a leopard model, bioacoustics sounds, human sounds, bee sounds and an electric fence. The use of model snakes and bioacoustic sounds had no effect on the baboon visits and amount of time spent at the bait site. The leopard model and bee sounds reduced the foraging duration at bait stations of baboons and vervets. Human sounds may reduce the frequency of visits to bait stations. We found that only electric fence was effective at reducing crop foraging. However, the use of electric fences can have negative consequences for other wildlife species such as tortoises. Therefore, we suggest that modifications to electric fence designs are needed to reduce the number of wildlife mortalities before they can be recommended as an effective deterrent. Data collection for the deterrent trials were conducted by volunteers and we are grateful for their contribution to our ongoing research. If you’re interested in volunteering with us, or have an idea for a deterrent to test, please get in touch. To read the full article, please contact Dr. Leah Findlay l.*********@du****.uk or request on researchgate. To read more about our other research, here.
