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