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Understanding animal behaviour patterns for long-term solutions to human-wildlife conflict

In Zimbabwe, Chacma baboons Papio ursinus cause large-scale damage to commercial pine plantations, creating a severe problem for the timber industry due to losses in the value of timber as a result of the damage they cause. Historically, baboons in Zimbabwe have been treated as vermin and considered a problem species, with bounty hunting encouraged by the District Commissioners.

While successful at reducing damage, within two years, new troops would move back into the area with damage reoccurring. This case study follows the long-standing research and experiences of a wildlife manager, who had initially been tasked with conducting the lethal control, but through observations of the baboon’s behaviour, identified what might be driving their behaviour and how the behaviour was transferred between individual troops. Consequently, they could determine how the situation should be managed in the long-term, removing the need for lethal control of baboons on a large scale.

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