Koirala Sabina, Chalise Mukesh K, Katuwal Hem Bahadur, Gaire Raju, Pandey Bishnu, Ogawa Hideshi
Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Folia Primatol (Basel). 2017;88(2):57-74. doi: 10.1159/000477581. Epub 2017 Jul 12.
Studying the behavioural flexibility and adaptability of macaques to different habitats is one approach to designing a conservation plan. To determine the activity budget and feeding behaviour and evaluate the effects of seasonality in wild and human- altered habitats of Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis), we conducted this study in the Nagarjun forest of Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park (SNNP) in central Nepal. We also updated the list of plant food items of Assamese macaques in the SNNP. Using scan and all-occurrence sampling, we recorded the diets and activities of Assamese macaques in 2 social groups, a wild-feeding group (WG) and a semi-provisioned group (SPG), throughout the year from August 2013 to July 2014. Both groups spent most of their time in feeding activities and were quite arboreal, but there were significant differences in the activity budgets and diets between the groups. Human food was the main component of the diet for the SPG, whereas it was fruit for the WG, indicating a normally frugivorous diet. Furthermore, the activity budget and diet composition varied in response to the season. These results indicate that provisioning alters the activity and feeding behaviour of macaques, and can also increase human-macaque conflict and disease transmission.
研究猕猴对不同栖息地的行为灵活性和适应性是制定保护计划的一种方法。为了确定阿萨姆猕猴（Macaca assamensis）在野生和人为改变的栖息地中的活动预算和觅食行为，并评估季节性的影响，我们在尼泊尔中部希瓦普里-纳加尔朱恩国家公园（SNNP）的纳加尔朱恩森林中开展了这项研究。我们还更新了SNNP中阿萨姆猕猴的植物食物种类清单。从2013年8月至2014年7月，我们全年使用扫描抽样和全事件抽样方法，记录了2个社会群体，即野生觅食组（WG）和半投喂组（SPG）中阿萨姆猕猴的饮食和活动情况。两个群体大部分时间都用于觅食活动，且都相当树栖，但两组之间在活动预算和饮食方面存在显著差异。人类食物是SPG饮食的主要组成部分，而WG的主要食物是水果，这表明其正常饮食为食果性。此外，活动预算和饮食组成随季节而变化。这些结果表明，投喂会改变猕猴的活动和觅食行为，还会增加人与猕猴之间的冲突以及疾病传播。
