Assessment of crop foraging by hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) in and around Borena-Sayint National Park, northern Ethiopia

Abstract

Crop foraging is a widespread form of human-wildlife conflict adjacent to protected areas. It causes a great economic loss for subsistence communities hindering efforts in conservation endeavors. Hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) occur both in the lowland and highland ecosystems of Ethiopia. The species is known for its crop foraging behavior across its ranges. However, little is known about human-hamadryas baboon interactions manifested in crop foraging in the Ethiopian highlands. Thus, this study aimed to provide data on the magnitude of hamadryas baboon conflict with the local community in and around Borena-Sayint National Park (BSNP), northern Ethiopia. We collected data from January to July 2018 using a questionnaire survey of sample households in the surrounding local communities. We analyzed the attitude and perception of the local people towards hamadryas baboons using descriptive statistics. Local people estimated that hamadryas baboons damaged 120.2 kg of crops/household/year in and around BSNP. The species caused the highest damage to wheat (45.1 kg), barley (25.5 kg), potato (24.7 kg) and maize (20.1 kg) per household per year. The respondents reported that hamadryas baboons, from all incidents of crop foraging, caused the highest proportion of damage during the vegetative (48.2%) and harvesting (33.9%) stages of the cultivated foods. Local people reported that crop foraging was significantly greater during the dry season than in the wet season. Respondents mainly depend on guarding (43.6%) and shouting (32.8%) to prevent their cultivated crops from the visit of hamadryas baboons. About 12% of the respondents who experienced crop damage killed hamadryas baboons in retaliation. The intense interaction between hamadryas baboons and humans may pose a serious threat to the survival of the species unless appropriate management actions are taken. The findings of this study are crucial for developing management plans and implementing successful conservation strategies.