FEEDING ECOLOGY OF SWAYNE’S HARTEBEEST (ALCELAPHUS BUSELAPHUS SWAYNEI, SCLATER, 1892) IN MAZE NATIONAL PARK

Abstract

Swayne’s Hartebeest is an endemic but threatened species in Ethiopia. However, data were scarce on its feeding ecology and preferred plant species. Therefore, a study was carried out on feeding habit of Swayne's Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei) in the Maze National Park, Ethiopia. The objective of this study was determining the preferable plant species available in the park and plant parts consumed by the study animal. Data were collected by direct observation in the field and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, SPSS (version 20) and one way ANOVA. A total of 648 observations were made on feeding habit of Swayne’s hartebeest throughout the study period. Of these, 284 (43.82%) were made in the wet season and 364 (56.18%) were made in the dry season. Sporobolus panicoides was mostly consumed grass in the wet season (24.3%) followed by Andropogon gayanus (19.36%) whereas Andropogon gayanus was the most preferred grass in the dry season (21.97%) followed by Heteropogon contortus (18.4%). The result revealed that Swayne’s Hartebeests fed on nine grass species of Poaceae during the wet season, while they were observed feeding on those grasses and two tree species of Balanitaceae and Fabaceae in the dry season with a varied amount of consumption. The proportion of food items consumed by the animals in wet and dry seasons differed significantly (χ2 = 376.5, df = 10, p < 0.05). Swayne’s Hartebeest preferred mainly young leaves