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Gashaka Gumti National Park (2000- ongoing)
Field Study in Africa
Web Site: http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/researchcentres/crea/index.html
Location of Site: NIGERIA

Director: Dr Caroline Ross
Phone: 02083923529   E-Mail: c.ross@roehampton.ac.uk
Holybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD UNITED KINGDOM
Department: Department of Life Sciences
Institution: Roehampton University

Sponsoring Institution(s): Gashaka Primate Project, Roehampton university

Research Objectives: This is a long-term research project researching into the biology and behaviour of baboons at Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria. We use data from this site to explore the proximate and ultimate causes of reproductive and life history strategies in primates and in exploring these using a comparative approach. We are also interested at the causes and consequences of crop-raiding by baboons and other wild animals. By focusing on the ecological, behavioural and demographic correlates of crop-raiding in baboons and combining this with work that looks at human attitudes to wildlife we hope to gain insight into the complexities of human-wildlife conflict in this national park.

Field Positions and Volunteers: We sometimes have volunteer positions -please contact for information.

Species Studied: Papio anubis (olive baboon)

Other Species at Site: Cercopithecus mona (mona monkey), Chlorocebus pygerythrus (vervet), Colobus guereza (guereza), Erythrocebus (patas monkey), Lophocebus albigena (gray-cheeked mangabey), Pan troglodytes vellerosus (Nigeria chimpanzee)

Publications: Higham, JP, MacLarnon, AM, Heistermann, M, Ross, C and Semple, S (2009) Rates of self-directed behaviour and faecal glucocorticoid leves are not correlated in wild female olive baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis). Stress 12, 526-532
Sommer, Volker & Caroline Ross (eds.) (2010, in press). The Monkeys and Apes of Gashaka: Primate-socioecology and Conservation in Nigeria's Biodiversity Hotspot. Springer.

Higham, JP, Semple, S, MacLarnon, AM, Heistermann, M and Ross, C (2009) Female reproductive signaling, and male mating behavior, in the olive baboon. Hormones and Behaviour 55, 60-67

Higham, JP, Warren, Y, Adanu, J, Bubu, U, MacLarnon, A, Sommer, V and Ross, C (2009) Living on the edge: life-history of olive baboons at Gashaka-Gumti National Park, Nigeria. American Journal of Primatology 71, 293-304

Higham, JP, Heistermann, M, Ross, C, Semple, S, and MacLarnon, AM (2008) The timing of ovulation with respect to sexual swelling detumescence in wild olive baboons. Primates 49, 295-299

Higham, JP, MacLarnon, AM, Ross, C, Heistermann, M and Semple, S (2008) Baboon sexual swellings: information content of size and color. Hormones and Behaviour 53, 452-462

Higham, JP, Ross, C, Warren, Y, Heistermann, M and MacLarnon, A (2007) Reduced reproductive function in wild baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis) related to natural consumption of the African black plum (Vitex doniana). Hormones and Behavior 52, 394-390

Warren, Y., Buba, B. & Ross, C. (2007) Patterns of crop-raiding by wild and domestic animals near Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria. International Journal of Pest Management 53, 207-216

Comments: The baboon research project is a part of the Gashaka Primate Project (GPP) run by Prof. Volker Sommer of University Colege London. Details of GPP can be found at
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/gashaka/project/

Last Updated: 2010-02-22

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