Baboons (Papio spp.) as a potentially underreported source of food loss and kleptoparasitism of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) kills

Abstract

Kleptoparasitism, the theft of food from another individual, is an important interspecific interaction that can have consequences for animal fitness, predation rates, and species' abundance. Similarly, loss of food to fear effects and interspecific interactions can influence energetic costs and consumption rates. Due to their smaller body size and predominantly solitary nature, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are particularly prone to negative, direct interactions with competing carnivores, and they frequently lose kills to apex predators. However, trophic interactions with other species may have been underreported in the literature. Here, we document anecdotal interactions between cheetah and baboon (Papio spp.) species, across multiple sites in Africa, where baboon troops chased cheetahs off their kills and, in some cases, fed on the remaining carcasses. Given the widespread distribution, and relatively high densities of baboon species across sub-Saharan Africa, we hypothesise that these interactions are likely to be underrepresented in the literature. Since cheetah already experience high levels of competition with apex predators, particularly in South African fenced reserves where competing carnivores are often stocked at densities approaching, or in some cases exceeding, carrying capacity, additional competition and the loss of prey to baboons could further increase predation rates and have implications for reserve management. Baboons are often defensive around large carnivores. As such, interactions with cheetahs are likely to be motivated primarily as a defensive strategy. We encourage further research into food loss, kleptoparasitic behaviour and other competitive interactions between cheetah and Papio species.