Stephen J. O'Brien

Elusive: Scientists from Paignton zoo in the UK have produced what is thought to be the first photograph of the endangered Ader’s duiker antelope in its native environment in Kenya. (Photo: Paignton Zoo Environmental Park.) were collected to investigate the potential for the use of DNA for establishing the identity of individuals. A satellite collar was also tested for its effectiveness for potentially tracking animals under forest cover. Informal meetings were also held with village chiefs, forest rangers and local hunters to explain the project and assess the potential for community conservation and participatory monitoring. There’s little doubt that hunting remains a major threat to remaining populations of this antelope. Although hunting in Zanzibar is controlled through community management schemes, it is often difficult to implement these efficiently because of cultural sensitivities, along with the pressures of poverty, population growth and demand for natural resources. are ongoing habitat loss and degradation, and illegal hunting. Alongside work by Paignton Zoo researchers and Kenyan authorities on the population in Arabuko-Sokoke, a Darwin Initiative project is under assessment in Zanzibar, to try to ensure the long-term survival of these animals on the island. The initiative requires surveys in Zanzibar to obtain reliable population numbers and the degree of fragmentation of the remaining animals along with research on the duiker’s feeding ecology and social behaviour. A Darwin initiative preliminary visit to Zanzibar was made in December 2005 and a base established within a forest reserve that allowed first-hand monitoring of Ader’s duiker in its restricted remaining natural habitat. Data on food plants and their relative abundance were also gathered and dung samples Q & A