Non-Human Predator Interactions with Wild Great Apes in Africa and the Use of Camera Traps to Study Their Dynamics

Abstract

The slow life histories of great apes (hereafter ‘apes’) combined with a growing inventory of predation incidents suggest that apes may be strongly affected by direct predation, as well as by predation risk. Predation risk may shape and increase behavioural flexibility by forcing individuals to adapt their behaviour to predator patterns. Forest leopards are an apex predator of primates in African rain forests and may represent a significant risk to ape populations. More field data are needed to further elucidate the behavioural modifications of apes in response to predation. We present research methods that combine the use of remote camera traps, capture-mark-recapture statistics and occupancy modelling to study predator-African ape relationships and potential antipredator behaviour through spatial variation in species co-occurrence patterns.

Niche Partitioning in Sympatric Gorilla and Pan from Cameroon: Implications for Life History Strategies and for Reconstructing the Evolution of Hominin Life History

“…A preference for foraging in denser habitats must therefore contribute. This preference has consequences for predation risk [96].…”

“…For primates, Ross [97]–[99] showed that closed habitats apparently select for slow reproductive rates, even after the effects of body mass and environmental factors, like rainfall, have been taken into account. The denser forests occupied by gorillas are predicted to provide greater protection, especially from predation by leopards [96]. Because of their greater terrestriality gorillas are at a greater risk of predation, although their larger body masses and group cohesion offer some protection.…”

Variation in the social organization of gorillas: Life history and socioecological perspectives

“…Leopards are the only known predator of gorillas aside from humans . Leopards are found in most areas where western gorillas occur, yet they have not been observed in either the Virungas or Bwindi for decades .…”

Towards Automated Visual Monitoring of Individual Gorillas in the Wild

“…It has great potential to provide unique and valuable data on the impacts of conservation threats [71], sociodemographics [23], behavioural plasticity [32,55,3], disease mapping and screening [9], species interactions [23], habitat use [53,24], feeding ecology [24,51,59], activity patterns [32,55], and ranging patterns [48].…”