Activity budgets on social and reproductive behaviour of olive baboons (Papio anubis f.) at Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the activity budgets on social interactions and reproductive behaviour of olive baboon (Papio anubis) at Gashaka Gumti National Park (GGNP). A habituated baboon troop referred to as the Gashaka troop, consisting of 16 individuals: 4 adult females, 1 adult male, 1 sub-adult male, 3 juvenile females, 4 juvenile males and 3 infants was studied for a period of 12 months. Time fixed-point focal sampling method was adopted to determine the proportion of time the baboons allocated to various social and reproductive activities. The results obtained indicated the proportion of time baboons spent in various activities as follows: aggression (17.93%), infant handling (9.89%), grooming (33.08%), presentation of hindquarters (26.74%), mount and thrust (7.57%), mount no thrust (4.48%). Results of polyspecific association shows that the baboons spent 14.29% of the time in association with red flanked duikers, 14.29% with black-and-white colobus monkeys, 57.14% with tantalus monkeys and 14.29% with waterbucks. The percentage activity of the baboons when in polyspecific association indicate that 100.0% of the time was spent feeding when in association with red flanked duikers, waterbucks as well as black-and-white colobus monkeys. However, 50.0% of the time was spent feeding during association between baboons and tantalus monkeys. It is recommended that the GGNP Management should intensify effort toward protection of the Park as activities of poachers were frequently encountered during the study period.

Keywords: Activity, baboon, behaviour, interactions, polyspecific