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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
The influence of lunar cycles on crop-raiding elephants; evidence for risk avoidance
African Journal of Ecology, Volume 52, No. 2, Year 2014
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Description
Long-term solutions to crop raiding by elephants (Loxodonta africana) should be based on an understanding of their behaviour and ecology. The real and perceived risks from humans have been shown to affect elephant behaviour. This is evidenced by elephants predominantly raiding crops at night, avoiding the height of human activity. If such human avoidance behaviours are apparent, it might also be expected that elephants avoid risks associated with higher visibility and increased human activity as may occur during the full moon. However, elephant nocturnal crop-raiding behaviour in relation to lunar cycles has largely been a neglected factor in studies of human-elephant interactions. In this study around Mikumi National Park, Tanzania, we apply circular statistics in this context for the first time to show a significant decrease in crop raiding during the full moon and apply this method retrospectively to data from another site in West Africa with similar results. Additionally, a greater proportion of farms raided was guarded during the full moon than any other moon phase. Our results indicate that variations in crop raiding with lunar phase could be a general feature of elephant behaviour and thus could be used to design and time mitigation efforts. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Gunn, Jody
Australia, Palmerston
Parks and Wildlife Service, Northern Territory
Hawkins, Dawn M.
United Kingdom, Cambridge
Anglia Ruskin University
Barnes, Richard F.W.
United States, La Jolla
Uc San Diego School of Medicine
Mofulu, Fredrick
United Kingdom, Cambridge
Anglia Ruskin University
Tanzania, Arusha
Tanzania National Parks
Grant, Rachel A.
United Kingdom, Cambridge
Anglia Ruskin University
Norton, Guy W.
United Kingdom, Cambridge
Anglia Ruskin University
Statistics
Citations: 39
Authors: 6
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/aje.12091
ISSN:
01416707
e-ISSN:
13652028
Study Locations
Multi-countries
Tanzania