RESUMO
The Tanzania-Zambia (TANZAM) Highway traversing Mikumi National Park (MINAPA) has been a concern for wildlife managers since it was first paved in 1973-1974. After its upgrade in 1989-1990, researchers have documented increasing traffic resulting in considerable animal injuries and mortalities. Yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus) in MINAPA use the road as the bridge to and from foraging areas, therefore in addition to the risk of mortality road use could potentially have significant influence on their feeding behavior. However, knowledge on the influences of the TANZAM highway in the feeding behavior of yellow baboons is sparse. Using focal animal sampling techniques, we collected data on feeding and foraging behavior of two habituated troops of yellow baboons to examine to what extent the TANZAM highway is important in their feeding and foraging behavior. Results showed that in relation to habitat availability, visitation to habitat types reflect actual habitat choice of baboons. In general, yellow baboons less frequently visit and spent less time on the highway than natural habitats. Whenever they were on the highway, adult females and subadult males engage more into feeding, resting and socializing, while adult males were more vigilant. The major dietary compositions were fruits, seeds, leaves, sap, and invertebrates, almost exclusively collected from natural habitats, foods from the highway were opportunistically consumed. This study provides empirical evidence and concludes that yellow baboons do not directly depend on the highway for food, rather they use the TANZAM highway as normal part of their home range. However, its location near sleeping sites may have significant impact on baboons' activity budget. With these findings, we recommend strict implementation of rules against park littering and animal feeding in protected areas traversed by highways.
RESUMO
Understanding the behavior of species threatened with extinction is important for conservation planning and for solving problems facing species in captivity and the wild. We examined diurnal activity budgets and habitat use of the extinct in the wild Kihansi spray toad to provide insights into ongoing conservation initiatives for this species. Observations on eight target behaviors were made each morning and evening for 14 days, in two subpopulations at Kihansi and University of Dar es Salaam captive breeding centers. There were significantly more bouts of resting than calling, amplexing, hunting, walking, climbing, or feeding. There was no difference in mean time spent in each activity between the two subpopulations. The use of habitat was variable between age classes, subpopulations and sampling time. Young toads spent significantly more time resting at the top of vegetation and on walls while adults rested more on logs. Further, adults foraged more on the walls and vegetation in the morning and on the ground in the evening. Contrastingly, young toads foraged more on the ground in the morning and switched to elevated patches during evening. The similarity of the toads' behavior suggests that important biological traits are still maintained in captivity and retained across toad generations. Furthermore, temporal and spatial variations in the use of habitat structures between age groups suggest fine-scale resource partitioning to reduce competition in this gregarious species. These results highlight the importance of maintaining diverse habitat structures in captivity and are useful for planning species reintroduction and future restocking programs.