Dietary patterns and habitat of the Grimm’s duiker, Sylvicapra grimmia in Benin

Raising wild animals in captivity could make it possible for African peasant farmers to gain some of their protein requirements while ensuring the sustainable conservation of natural biological diversity. To perfect a model for raising the
Grimm’s duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) and to integrate it into wildlifeconservation programs, we undertook a study of the dietary patterns and the environments frequented by the duiker in the classified forest of Goungoun, a protected area contiguous to the hunting preserve of the Djona near park W in the North of the republic of Benin.
The study of the environments frequented was carried out from indices of their presence (hoofprints and dung). Their dietary patterns were determined by the analysis of the content of dung samples according to the method described by
Butet (1985).
In the environments that we monitored, the Grimm’s duiker shows a distinct preference for open vegetal formations and gravelly soils. In effect, 64% of the indices of presence were found in the shrubby savannas and the fallows and 43%
on gravelly soils.
The tree species most frequently encountered in these environments are: Burkea africana, Isoberlinia doka, Terminalia avicennioides, Vitellaria paradoxa, Cochlospermum tinctorium and Detarium microcarpum.

The Grimm’s duiker is a grazing animal the diet of which is quite diversified. In total, 27 vegetal species from 11 different families were identified in the dung. Those most consumed were Crossopteryx febrifuga and Strychnos spinosa.
Shannon’s diversity index, calculated to characterize the dietary pattern, measured 4.37 for all dung samples, which indicates that the Grimm’s duiker has a diversified diet and it is suggested that this could be a factor in successfully
raising this animal in captivity.

Auteurs:

Abdoul Razack Adjibi Oualiou, Jean-Claude Codjia, Guy Apollinaire Mensah

Adresses:

Université d'Abomey Calavi, Faculté des Sciences Agronomique - Bénin- 03 BP 1974 Cotonou, Benin Tel: +229 21 36 01 26 / Fax: +229 21 30 30 84