Temporal patterns of crop raiding by elephants were studied for 13 months in 1996/1997 at Kibale Forest National Park, Uganda. To determine the influence of environmental factors on the timing of raiding, we tested for correlations between crop raiding patterns and the quality of natural forage within the forest as well as crop availability beyond park boundaries. Crop raiding occurred throughout the year with peaks in dry seasons when crop availability was high. Bananas and maize were the main crops raided. Variations in forage quality were moderate with small seasonal fluctuations and peaks in dry seasons. Monthly crop raiding incidences were not influenced by forage quality but by ripening of maize. Comparison of forage quality and temporal distribution of crop raiding between savanna and forest habitats suggests that crop availability is more important in forest habitats, whereas in savanna habitats large seasonal fluctuations in forage quality have a greater influence on temporal patterns of crop raiding.

Primate foraging is influenced by the spatial and temporal distribution of foods, which may facilitate or constrain optimal nutrient intakes. Chimpanzees are frugivorous primates that mainly subsist on ripe fruit that is typically low in available protein (AP) and high in easily digestible carbohydrates. Because chimpanzees prefer ripe fruit and often eat it in large quantities compared with other foods, we hypothesized that protein intake would be tightly regulated while non-protein energy (NPE) would vary with fruit intake. To test this hypothesis, we conducted all-day follows on female chimpanzees, recorded all types of food consumed (i.e., drupes, figs, and non-fruit foods), estimated the nutritional contributions of these foods to daily NPE and AP intake and investigated how the ratio of NPE to AP varied due to changes in the types of foods consumed. Although the proportions of drupes, figs, and non-fruit foods varied in their diets, female chimpanzees maintained a relatively stable intake of AP while intake of NPE varied depending on the daily diet, demonstrating that like other frugivorous primates studied to date, chimpanzees prioritize protein. The mean daily ratio of NPE to AP was 7:1, which is similar to that of other frugivorous primates studied. Our results support the hypothesis that frugivorous animals may generally prioritize AP, while maximizing NPE intake within that constraint, and could shed light on aspects of human dietary evolution.

Crop damage by wildlife is a very prevalent form of human-wildlife conflict adjacent to protected areas, and great economic losses from crop raiding impede efforts to protect wildlife. Management plans are needed to decrease damage by raiding wildlife, yet conservation biologists typically lack the basic information needed for informed conservation strategies. Red-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius) raid a variety of crops adjacent to protected forests in East Africa; however, the role of group structure on crop raiding has not been explored. Here, crop raiding patterns of solitary males and social groups were investigated during 10 months in a plantation of mature cocoa in Uganda. Monkeys gained access to the plantation via trees planted as wind breaks and shade trees, and the sighting frequency of groups was negatively related to the distance from the forest edge. In contrast, solitary males were sighted more frequently far from the forest edge and caused proportionately greater damage than members raiding in a social group. These results highlight that for social animals, crop raiding behavior can vary among types of social groupings; appropriate strategies to cope with raiding must therefore respond to this variation.Keywords: crop raiding, social groups, solitary red-tailed monkeys, cocoa Resumen Los daños a los cultivos por la fauna silvestre es un conflicto común entre humanos y la fauna silvestre que se presenta adyacente a las áreas protegidas y donde el alto costo económico de los daños previene esfuerzos de protección a la fauna. Por lo tanto, los planes de manejo deben considerar la disminución de las intrusiones a los cultivos por la fauna silvestre, sin embargo los biólogos conservacionistas típicamente carecen de la información adecuada para construir estrategias informadas de conservación. El cercopiteco cola roja (Cercopithecus ascanius) se alimenta de una variedad de cultivos en áreas adyacentes a bosques protegidos en el este de África, sin embargo el papel que juega la estructura grupal en los daños a los cultivos no ha sido explorada aun. Aquí investigamos los patrones de incursiones a los cultivos por machos solitarios y grupos sociales durante 10 meses en una plantación madura de cacao en Uganda. Los grupos de monos accedieron a las plantaciones a través de árboles plantados como cercas vivas y como árboles sombra, y la frecuencia de avistamientos estuvo negativamente relacionada con la distancia del borde del bosque. En contraste, machos solitarios fueron observados frecuentemente más lejos del borde del bosque y causaron proporcionalmente más daño que miembros de un grupo social. Esos resultados indican que para especies sociales, el comportamiento de incursiones a cultivos puede variar dependiendo de la estructura social, por lo tanto las estrategias apropiadas para prevenir daños a los cultivos deben tomar en cuenta esta variación.

Daily energy intake of adult female mammals is influenced by environmental conditions and physiological requirements, including reproduction. We examined the effects of fruit availability on macronutrient and metabolisable energy (ME) intake by adult female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) of the Kanyawara community in Kibale National Park, Uganda, from January 2014 through June 2015. Drupe fruits were abundant for 4 months, whereas the other 14 months were dominated by fig fruits. The mean daily intake of food (dry matter) and ME did not differ between drupe‐months and fig‐months. However, foraging costs were higher during fig‐months, as indicated by a 20% increase in feeding time. Furthermore, during drupe‐months female chimpanzees ingested more water‐soluble carbohydrates and lipids, and less available protein and neutral detergent fibre. Although ME intake did not differ consistently between drupe‐months and fig‐months, they consumed more on days when ripe fruit dominated the diet than when leaves and pithy stems dominated the diet. Our data suggest that differences in diet quality between drupes and figs can have important effects on frugivore foraging and that they influence net energy gain more by their effects on macronutrient composition or foraging cost than by their direct impact on energy intake.

Given the degree to which tropical ecosystems are currently being disturbed by human activities, it is essential to set priorities for conservation and thus it becomes important to consider how best to set these priorities. From this perspective, this study provides the ¢rst detailed investigations of Cercopithecus mitis kandti, the golden monkey, focusing on the population in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (MGNP), Uganda. Speci¢cally, we (1) establish the current status of the golden monkey in terms of population size and distribution within the park in relation to vegetation types and altitude, and (2) investigate the golden monkey's feeding ecology. A total of 67 censuses of 4 km transects were conducted along a cumulative distance of 299 km and 132 social groups were encountered. Densities were estimated to have increased by 1.6 times since a census 8 years ago, and the total population in the park is estimated to be between 3164 and 5059 individuals. The average size of golden monkey groups in MGNP is 30 individuals (range 3^62). This is similar to that of other subspecies in neighbouring forests. In contrast, the census conducted 8 years before estimated average group size to be eight individuals. Golden monkeys were observed to eat 21 plant species and they were inferred to eat an additional eleven from signs left behind and reports. Both study groups relied upon leaves (primarily young leaves), fruits and invertebrates for food, but the amount of time they fed on these di¡erent types of foods varied between the groups. Given the apparent increase in density since the census 8 years ago, the golden monkeys of MGNPappear to be doing well. However, given the number of snares and the extent of illegal extraction of bamboo found during the census, conservation e¡orts should be increased.