Population Status and Diurnal Activity Patterns of the Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

Ermias Deribe, Afework Bekele, M Balakrishnan

Abstract


The population, age and sex category and diurnal activity patterns of the common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)were studied in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia during wet and dry seasons. Both total and samplecounts were made to study the population size. Focal animal sampling method was used, focussing on one animal,pair or group at a time, to study the activity pattern. Data were analyzed using SPSS computer software packageand compared using one-way ANOVA and t-test for independent sample of groups. There were a total of 576warthogs in the study area. The male: female ratio of adults and sub-adults together was 1.00:1.63. Over 57 % ofthe population constituted young, showing increasing population trend. Major activities of the species were feedingand resting/lying down. The time spent on each activity by Group I (an adult male) and Group II (one female withher two hoglets) was not significantly different except in feeding. Feeding activity reached its peak in the earlymorning and late afternoon hours. Resting/lying down was more pronounced during the mid-day. The activitypatterns of warthogs were more or less similar to those of the other diurnal ungulates in the Bale MountainsNational Park, characterized by morning and evening activity peaks with a period of rest during mid-day.

Keywords


Warthog, Population, Behaviour, Bale Mountains National Park, Ecology, Wildlife

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