Daily Activity Pattern of Geladas (Theropithecus gelada, Ruppell 1835) in Kotu Forest, Northern Ethiopia

Abstract

Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) is one of the endemic primates of Ethiopia. The ecology of meta populations of geladas outside protected areas is less studied, and their population status is uncertain. As a result, we conducted a study to investigate the daily activity pattern of gelada in Kotu forest and associated grasslands in northern Ethiopia from August 2017 to February 2018 covering both wet and dry seasons. The instantaneous scan sampling method was employed to collect behavioral data. The activity pattern of three selected focal groups of geladas was studied, and predominant behavioral activities were scanned in 15 minutes intervals from dawn 7:00 h to dusk at 18:00 h. Feeding comprised 61.65% of the total scan, followed by moving 18.49%. Feeding activity was more frequent during the dry season (about 65%) than in the wet season (58.20%). On the other hand, moving activity was more frequent during the dry season (about 22%) than in the wet season (about 14%). The daily activity pattern of gelada showed a feeding peak early in the morning and in the late afternoon. The time allocated by geladas for feeding and moving in the study area is higher than other activities. Therefore, there is a need for further in-depth research on diet availability and quality to justify why geladas allocate more time for feeding and moving nexus for conservation interventions.

Behavioral Activity and Ranging Patterns of the Endemic Gelada Monkey (Theropithecus gelada) in and Around Jer Silase Monastry in North Shoa Zone, Ethiopia

“…The possible reason could be that during the dry season, su cient amounts of food and water were not readily available at Cliff/Rocky habitat. In line with the present study, [45] reported geladas were observed to move long distances in search of green fresh leaves outside the study area in the dry season, while they did not go far from their cliffs during the wet season due to that gelada spent more time at cliff habitat.…”

“…In the present study, (54.52%) of geladas spent more time feeding than other activities, similar to the previous ndings at Wonchit Valley [36], Zlin-Lesna Zoo [42], Simien Mountains National Park [43], Debre-Libanos Monastery Forest [44], South Rift Valley of Ethiopia [35], Abogedam Church West of Debre Berhan Town [22] and Kotu Forest [45] discovered that geladas spent more time to feeding than other activities. The cause for a high proportion of time dedicated to the feeding activity may be due to the food which may have lower nutritional quality [46], and better habitat quality is associated with decreased feeding and increased resting among gelada groups.…”

“…Similarly, [40] revealed geladas move a further distance which needs extra time for moving to consume those fruits since the trees grow in sparse patterns in the area. [45] also reported that during the dry season, the time spent moving was higher than in the wet season. The possible reason could be that during the dry season, su cient amounts of food and water were not readily available in the Kotu forest geladas moved long distances in search of green fresh leaves outside the Kotu forest in the dry season, while they did not go far from their cliffs during the wet season [49] In opposing the present study, [52] and [53] suggest that some primates spend more time feeding during the wet than dry seasons.…”

“…The reason may be due to geladas not traveling to forest and farmland habitats; they spent more time on cliff habitats. But, during the dry season, the farmland was harvested and consequently, they had more space to move around and eat a surplus of the crops [44,45]. When food is limited, geladas move long distances and have more home ranges.…”

Diet composition and diurnal activity patterns of gelada baboon (Theropithecus gelada)

“…Due to different anthropogenic factors including habitat fragmentation, metapopulations of geladas were created and such populations are widely separated apart, inhabiting areas that are inaccessible and unprotected. As a result, metapopulations of geladas over many fragmented areas remain largely unstudied (Degu & Zerihun, 2022). A number of studies on the daily activity patterns and feeding ecology of geladas in Ethiopia over protected areas have been conducted.…”