MAJOR DATA SET FOR HIGHWAY INFLUENCE.sav

Yellow baboons are known to use the road as their bridge to and from foraging areas, therefore in addition to the risk of mortality; road use could potentially have significant influence on the feeding behaviour of the baboons. However, knowledge on how the highway traversing Mikumi National Park in Tanzania influences the feeding behaviour of the baboons is sparse. Using focal animal sampling techniques, we collected data on feeding and foraging behaviour of two habituated troops of yellow baboons to test to what extent the highway is important in their feeding and foraging behaviour. Results showed that in general, baboons visit the highway less frequently and spent less time there compared to natural habitats. However, whenever they were on the highway, feeding, resting and socializing were the major activities performed more especially by adult females and subadult males, while adult males were relatively more vigilant. The major dietary compositions were fruits, seeds, leaves, sap and invertebrates, almost exclusively collected from natural habitats nevertheless, foods from the highway were opportunistically consumed. This study therefore provides empirical evidence and concludes that yellow baboons do not directly depend on the highway for food, as it has been portrayed, rather they use the highway as normal part of their home range. The highway is frequently used because it improves visibility and reduces the perceived predation risk as compared to natural habitats