Mänsklig påverkan av födoval och dygnsrytm hos blå markattor (Cercopithecus mitis sthulmanni)

Abstract: The blue monkey is a forest-dwelling guenon, divided in to many subspecies spread in many different habitats in south, east and central Africa. They are one of the biggest guenons and one of the most arboreal. As an omnivore blue monkeys mostly feed on fruit, leaves and insects among others and seem to be highly adaptable towards its environment. They may live and forage close to human settlements, as in this case close to a lodge that was built in the monkey's natural habitat. In my study, the monkeys gained food from trash bins in the staff area and around the kitchen. Measured in feeding time, their food consisted to a third of trash, mainly ugali (a kind of cornflower mixture) but also fruits. Blue monkeys have in general a feeding pattern with activity around dusk and dawn with resting in the middle of the day. Our monkeys had additionally to the morning and afternoon activity another peak around lunch when the kitchen opened and staff threw away the left-over food in the open trash bins. I suggest that this was because the monkeys had easy access to the human food around that time of day. The monkeys seem to have adapted their choices of food as well as their diurnal rhythm to the human environment. However, all through they had good access to human food they foraged mostly food from their natural food sources.