CONSERVATION STATUS
CITES:
Appendix II (http://www.cites.org)
IUCN Red List:
LR/lc (http://www.redlist.org)
Olive baboons are not currently threatened according to the
IUCN.
Based on their distribution and abundance, they are
categorized as lower risk and least concern because they do not meet any
of the criteria of endangerment. The trade of olive baboons is legal but
monitored by
CITES.
CONSERVATION THREATS & POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
Threat: Human-Induced Habitat Loss and Degradation
Baboons are highly adaptable animals that are able to exploit a
number of different environments (Ransom 1981; Strum 1987). Even when
humans clear areas for cultivation or develop infrastructure on land,
olive baboons are capable of exploiting new food resources, including
agricultural products and refuse (Forthman Quick 1986).
Threat: Invasive Alien Species
While olive baboons and other primates are subject to a number of
naturally occurring pathogens and
parasites which can be harmless or cause only mild problems,
other infections have been recorded to be serious within certain
populations (Farah et al. 2003). In 1982, an outbreak of tuberculosis
introduced through eating infected beef caused high levels of morbidity
among a Kenyan population of olive baboons (Sapolsky & Else 1987).
The group in which the disease originated lived nearby humans who raise
and slaughter cows. The adult males of the group often frequented the
slaughterhouse's dump to feed and were infected through consumption of
contaminated beef. Tuberculosis spreads quickly among captive nonhuman
primates and results in weight loss, coughing, lethargy, and death
(Sapolsky & Else 1987). Because of the movement patterns of male
baboons, including
natal
and secondary transfer,
diseases like tuberculosis can spread over a large area and to multiple
groups. While new accounts of this disease have not been recorded in wild
olive baboon populations, the potential for another outbreak is possible
if sanitation standards are not increased. Proper disposal of infected
beef could prevent the baboons from scavenging meat and decrease the
possibility of transmission (Sapolsky & Else 1987).
Natural predators of olive baboons include
felids,
wild dogs, hyenas, chimpanzees, crocodiles, and
raptors,
but as baboons come into close proximity with
humans, domestic dogs become more of a threat (Rowell 1966; Nagel 1973;
Harding 1976; Smuts 1985; Barton et al. 1996).
Threat: Harvesting (hunting/gathering)
Olive baboons are hunted for food in some populations, but compared to
other primate species, they are not harvested at high rates (Fa et al.
2005). They are killed by being shot or by being trapped in wire snares
(Isabirye-Basuta 2004).
Threat: Persecution
Baboons are highly adaptable and exploit many food resources, including
agricultural crops which neighbor their natural habitat. In some areas,
human encroachment has increased greatly and olive baboons have become a
serious pest species,
raiding crops
on a regular
basis and finding much of their food in human-centered areas. These
behavioral patterns have led to serious consequences for some baboons as
farmers poison, trap, and shoot problem baboons (Ransom 1981;
Naughton-Treves et al. 1998; Hill 2000). Olive baboons are particularly
problematic and threaten the livelihood of farmers because of their
destructive behaviors while raiding crops. They often dig up, snap off,
or otherwise destroy a plant when they eat it. A group of baboons can
cause serious damage to a subsistence farm, causing backlash from
farmers (Hill 2000). While there are some solutions that decrease crop
raiding on individual farms, as more land is converted to agricultural
use and baboon habitat shrinks, more extensive measures may be necessary
to decrease conflict and save baboons (Strum &Southwick 1986).
Potential Solutions
Several techniques have been used to decrease crop-raiding behavior in
olive baboons including playback of alarm calls to frighten the raiders,
chemical deterrents, and guard dogs. While each of these will work for
a limited amount of time, because of the intelligence of baboons, the
offending animals will learn to avoid these or will simply ignore them
(Strum 1987; 1994). One extreme measure that has been successful in
decreasing baboon mortality due to human persecution is relocation of
baboons from areas of high human density and agriculture to areas of low
human density (Strum 1987; Strum & Southwick 1986). In 1984, three
troops of olive baboons were relocated from Gilgil, Kenya after
precipitous decline in the main population due to persecution by farmers
(Strum 1987). The baboons were moved to the less populated but equally
ecologically suitable Laikipia Plateau, Kenya. This translocation
involved 131 baboons, of which all survived and adapted to life in their
new surroundings (Strum 1987). While this is an extreme measure, the
pioneering work of Shirley Strum and her colleagues proved how
successful and safe relocation could be for baboons and, depending on
the circumstances, could be a tactic used for other populations of olive
baboons suffering from persecution.
Threat: Natural Disasters
Savanna ecosystems are subject to periodic droughts that can have
severe effects on the wildlife. Decreased rainfall affects grass
regeneration and other plant growth, forcing olive baboons to spend more
time
foraging
and inducing some physiological
changes as well. Males have lower levels of
testosterone during drought and females can potentially have difficulty
reproducing (Sapolsky 1986). Malnourishment has not been reported
during times of drought mainly because baboons adapt to rainfall
shortages by increasing time spent feeding and traveling and decrease
energetically expensive behaviors such as aggressive interactions and
copulation
(Sapolsky 1986).
Threat: Changes in Native Species Dynamics
Hybridization
occurs between olive baboons and hamadryas
(Papio hamadryas) as well as yellow baboons
(Papio cynocephalus) in the wild (Samuels & Altmann 1986; Nagel 1973).
Because the behavior is similar between these species and because they
produce offspring that are healthy and can reproduce, natural hybrid
zones form where the ranges of these species meet (Phillips-Conroy et
al. 1988; Alberts & Altmann 2001). Hybrids have
phenotypic
and behavioral characteristics of both species
and may be more successful than each of the species alone at exploiting
the marginal environment (Bergman & Beehner 2004). While considered
a natural phenomenon, increased hybridization has been recorded in
recent years. At Amboseli National Park, Kenya human cultivation has
increased in recent years, forcing olive baboons into more overlapping
areas with yellow baboons and increasing the amount of hybridization
(Alberts & Altmann 2001). There is no current evidence that
increased hybridization threatens olive baboon populations at Amboseli
(Detwiler et al. 2005).
LINKS TO MORE ABOUT CONSERVATION
CONSERVATION INFORMATION
CONSERVATION NEWS
ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN Papio anubis CONSERVATION
Content last modified: April 18, 2006
Written by Kristina Cawthon Lang. Reviewed by Ryne Palombit.
Cite this page as:
Cawthon Lang KA. 2006 April 18. Primate Factsheets: Olive baboon (Papio anubis) Conservation. <http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/olive_baboon/cons>. Accessed 2008 May 15.
