Intraspecific prey choice of bushmeat hunters outside the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania: a preliminary analysis

Abstract

In this study we investigated intraspecific prey choice of illegal bushmeat hunters outside the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. During the study 151 animals belonging to 12 species were reported killed. The majority, 76%, of prey species were migratory herbivores. Night hunting with dogs was the most common hunting method for medium-sized prey (biomass ≤40 kg), while the majority of the large herbivores were killed by snares. When actively stalking, hunters killed more males of most of the species recorded, as well as more immatures than adults. Passive hunting also generally had a male-bias. This suggests that the male-bias in kills probably is more a result of behavioural factors among the animals, combined with poor hunting technology, than deliberate choice of the hunters.

Keywords: bushmeat, hunting, conservation, Serengeti, sex ratio, Tanzania