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African wolf diet, predation on livestock and conflict in the Guassa Mountains of Ethiopia

Atickem, A.; Simeneh, G.; Bekele, A.; Mekonnen, T.; Sillero-Zubiri, C.; Hill, R.A.; Stenseth, N.C.

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Authors

A. Atickem

G. Simeneh

A. Bekele

T. Mekonnen

C. Sillero-Zubiri

N.C. Stenseth



Abstract

The African wolf (Canis lupus lupaster) was first identified in 2011 in the Ethiopian highlands, with its status as a new species confirmed in 2015. We studied the diet of a confirmed African wolf population in the Menz-Guassa Community Conservation Area of central Ethiopia from scat samples collected by den sites from August to November 2010. Rodents were found to be the principal food items occurring in 88.1% of scats (n = 101), followed by plant material (34.7%) and insects (21.8%). Information on reported livestock predation and ensuing conflict with the agro-pastoral community was obtained through a questionnaire survey. Interview respondents listed the African wolf as the most serious predator of livestock, accounting for 74.6% of the reported kills (n = 492) and 78.9% of the economic loss. Over 70% of reported livestock predation occurred during the dry season (January–April). Better livestock management during this period may significantly reduce conflict. As sympatric Ethiopian wolves primarily feed on rodents, further studies on the foraging ecology, niche overlap and interspecific interactions between the two species should be studied to determine the extent of competition between the two species.

Citation

Atickem, A., Simeneh, G., Bekele, A., Mekonnen, T., Sillero-Zubiri, C., Hill, R., & Stenseth, N. (2017). African wolf diet, predation on livestock and conflict in the Guassa Mountains of Ethiopia. African Journal of Ecology, 55(4), 632-639. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12399

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 23, 2016
Online Publication Date Apr 24, 2017
Publication Date Dec 1, 2017
Deposit Date Nov 24, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal African Journal of Ecology
Print ISSN 0141-6707
Electronic ISSN 1365-2028
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 55
Issue 4
Pages 632-639
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12399

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Copyright Statement
This is the accepted version of the following article: Atickem, A., Simeneh, G., Bekele, A., Mekonnen, T., Sillero-Zubiri, C., Hill, R.A. & Stenseth, N.C. (2017). African wolf diet, predation on livestock and conflict in the Guassa Mountains of Ethiopia. African Journal of Ecology, 55(4): 632-639, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12399. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.





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