Crop-raiding and Commensalism in Olive Baboons: The Costs and Benefits of Living with Humans

Warren, Ymke; Higham, James P.; Maclarnon, Ann M.; Ross, Caroline

Abstract

We investigated the causes and consequences of crop-raiding for the ecology and life-history of two troops of olive baboons studied in Nigeria’s Gashaka Gumti National Park over 8 years. Kwano troop feeds entirely on wild foods whilst the Gamgam troop regularly consumes crops grown within its home-range. Crop-raiding provides both energetic and reproductive advantages as Gamgam troop spent less time travelling and feeding and more time resting and socialising. The crop-raiding troop has also shorter inter-birth intervals and lower infant mortality. Costs to crop-raiding due to chasing and attacks by farmers are outweighed by the benefits of increased access to high-quality foods, a reduced susceptibility to pathogen loads, and a consequently increased reproductive output.

Citation

Warren, Y., Higham, J. P., Maclarnon, A. M., & Ross, C. (2011). Crop-raiding and Commensalism in Olive Baboons: The Costs and Benefits of Living with Humans. In V. Sommer, & C. Ross (Eds.), Primates of Gashaka: Socioecology and Conservation in Nigeria’s Biodiversity Hotspot (359-384). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7403-7_8

• Online Publication Date: Oct 12, 2010
• Publication Date: 2011
• Deposit Date: Aug 23, 2018
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Pages: 359-384
• Series Title: Developments in Primatology-Progress and Prospects
• Book Title: Primates of Gashaka: Socioecology and Conservation in Nigeria’s Biodiversity Hotspot
• ISBN: 9781441974020
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-7403-7_8
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1664069