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.
Highlights
Hamadryas Baboons range throughout the horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula in Saudi Arabia and Yemen (Kummer 1968; Biquand et al 1992; AlSafadi 1994; Zinner et al 2001)
In Saudi Arabia, hamadryas are found along the Sarawat mountains which run parallel to the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea (Biquand et al 1992)
In Ethiopia, Nagel (1973) reported that Hamadryas Baboons at the Awash River most commonly fed on the flowers, seeds, and fresh shoots of Acacia senegal, A. nubica, A. tortilis, and A. clavigera, and appeared to prefer the flowers when they were available
Summary
Hamadryas Baboons range throughout the horn of Africa (in parts of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Sudan, and Somalia) and the Arabian Peninsula in Saudi Arabia and Yemen (Kummer 1968; Biquand et al 1992; AlSafadi 1994; Zinner et al 2001). Hamadryas Baboons are known to have among the longest daily path lengths of all primate species, and a unique multi-level social organization in which large groups (troops and bands) break into smaller foraging parties (one-male units and clans) during daily travel These ranging and social patterns have often been attributed to the scarce and widely dispersed distribution of food resources in their semi-desert habitats (Kummer 1968; Sigg & Stolba 1981; Swedell 2002, 2006; Schreier 2010; Schreier & Swedell 2012a). Saudi Arabian hamadryas populations feed primarily on Acacia trees and other semi-desert plants such as Grewia spp. and Dobera glabra (Kummer et al 1981; Al-Safadi 1994)
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