Spatiotemporal association of human-elephant conflict around Parsa National Park, Nepal

This study was carried to evaluate the Spatio-temporal association of human-elephant conflict (HEC) among five different rural municipalities (Nirmalbasti, Jirabhawani, Sakhuwaparsauni, Parsagadhi, and Paterwasugauli) of Parsa District around Parsa National Park in 2019. Primary data was collected by using questionnaire surveys with victims’ family and local people using random sampling method, key informant interviews with Chief Conservation Officer of Parsa National Park, District Forest Officer, ZSL field official, Chairperson of Batika Buffer Zone User Committee, focus group discussion, and field visit to verify the information. Total six people were killed and one person was survived with severe injury by the elephant attacks between 2013 and 2019 in the study area. Crop raiding was perceived as the most serious conflict from the elephants by local people. People around the national park are mostly farmers with a low level of income. They are mostly dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Elephants are damaging the crops of the farmers making their livelihood difficult. HEC intensity was highest during the rice harvest season (65%), and at night (83%). Local farmers also reported that the aroma of ripening paddy had an interesting relation with HEC, it was associated with elephants’ crop-raiding behavior. Local farmers did not use any specific traditional mitigation measure but believed that planting unpalatable crops and constructing a solar fence around the national park minimizes HEC and will promote co-existence between people and elephants.

The efficacy of interventions to protect crops from raiding elephants

Both African elephants (Loxodonta spp.) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) across their range come into conflict with people because of their crop-raiding behavior, which presents profound impediments to farmer livelihoods. In response, a series of interventions, designed to reduce elephant crop raiding have been applied. Based on an extensive review of elephant crop-raiding studies published over a 31-year period, we identified four primary categories of interventions including: (i) detection efforts; (ii) preemptive measures; (iii) fencing and trenches; and (iv) deterrent techniques. The interventions reported to be most effective involved chili peppers (i.e., fences, spray, and briquettes) and crop guarding coupled with deterrents. The extent to which these interventions can be applied more widely is unclear as only two studies examined efficacy across sites in more than one country. Thus, future inquiry should evaluate the ability of effective interventions, or indeed a combination of interventions, to be applied across the range of elephants to reduce crop raiding at scale.

Weaver-Birds’ crop-Raiding Behavior in Buea municipality, Southwest Region, Cameroon

The entire surface of the earth is visited by the birds in view of their aerial flights and variable habitats in search of suitable breeding and feeding grounds. Flight, intelligence, adaptability and sight are some of the attributes that add to the diversity in the life of birds, consequently there is complexity in their overall behavioral pattern. The key objective of this study was to assess the weaver-bird crop-raiding activity in Buea municipality on different environmental parameters. The study was undertaken for three months, six days in a week, from 7:00am to 6:00pm. Scan observations were made on birds’ activity on a five-minute interval period across the entire study area. Simultaneously, data was collected on the environmental conditions. The study recorded a significant association between weaver-bird activity on crop-land, X2 = 11.653 df=14, P < 0.005 and X2 = 3.441 df=4, P<0.05 respectively. There was weaver-bird activity frequency of 51.63%, 45.35%, and 3.02% for Ploceus luteolus, Ploceus cuculatus, and Ploceus melanocephalus respectively. Moreover, a week association between bird activity and weather, X2 = 3.125 df=3, P<0.05 was recorded. The sunny and cloudy weather conditions recorded 53.26%, and 42.09% respectively, while the windy and rainy weather conditions were significantly low (3.26%). An association was recored between atmospheric conditions and weaver-birds’ activity on crops, X2 = 23.249 df=21, P<0.05. In addition, the most destroyed farms were Elaeis guineensis (32.33%), Saccharum officinarum (19.77%), Zea mays (17.44%), and Mangifera indica (15.58%) respectively, and the scale of destruction was very prominent on the foliage used by the birds for nest-building. Maize crops and oil-palms were among the crop species most subjected to destruction by birds. These crops were observed with poor foliage formation and fruits, consequently they withered, and since the local farming population in this municipality predominantly cultivates these crops most, a heavy toll is often taken on the annual farmers’ income.

Nutritional content explains the attractiveness of cacao to crop raiding Tonkean macaques

Nutritional ecology has been linked to crop raiding behavior in a number of wildlife taxa. Here our goal is to explore the role nutrition plays in cacao crop raiding by Tonkean macaques Macaca tonkeana in Sulawesi, Indonesia. From June – Sept. 2008 we collected fruit samples from 13 species known to be important Tonkean macaque foods and compared their nutritional value to that of cacao Theobroma cacao, an important cash crop in Sulawesi. Cacao pulp was significantly lower in protein, but lower in dietary fiber, and higher in digestible carbohydrates and energy content compared to forest fruits. These findings, combined with the fact that cacao fruits are spatially concentrated and available throughout the year, likely explain why Tonkean macaques are attracted to this cultivated resource. We use these data along with published feeding ecology data to propose strategies to minimize human-macaque conflict. Namely, we recommend the deliberate protection of Elmerillila tsiampaccca, Ficus spp. and Arenga pinnata, fruit species known to be regularly consumed and of considerable nutritional value. We also identify the A. pinnata palm as a potential buffer resource to curb cacao crop raiding by macaques. Cacao is a hard-to-process food because the pods have a thick outer skin that encases the seeds and pulp. Aren palm fruit, although lower in digestibility, is easier-to-process, higher in protein, and also available year round. In addition, because the palm has considerable cultural and economic significance for local people, the strategy of planting Aren palm in a buffer corridor is likely to garner local community support.

Sneak spawning and egg stealing by male threespine sticklebacks

Nest-raiding behavior by breeding male threespine sticklebacks was examined in a laboratory study to determine the contexts in which spawnings and egg stealing occur, and the effect, if any, of egg stealing on the mating success of the egg stealer. Of three males competing for mates at any one time, those that were last to complete construction of their nest and, subsequently, last to spawn in their own nest, raided most frequently. It was found that raids are initiated primarily during spawning by neighboring males and the majority of incidents of egg stealing are preceded by sneak spawnings. In many cases males steal eggs that they themselves potentially fertilized. However, the stolen eggs do not increase the chances of a male attracting a female to his nest to spawn. Stealing eggs may affect mating success in an open population, but under the conditions of the present experiment the adaptive significance of egg stealing remains unclear.