Behaviour and food preference of Maxwell's Duiker [Cephalophus Maxwelli (Thunberg, 1789)] in captivity

Abstract

Six duikers were studied at the Kumasi Zoo to determine their food preferences in captivity on some selected tropical foodstuff , and to observe their behaviour in captivity.Three pairs of male and female were housed in separate cages and tested on six different foodstuffs over a period of twenty days. A Completely Randomized Design was used and means were compared using the T-test. The results showed that there was a highly significant (P<0.01) differencebetween diets offered to Maxwell's duikers in captivity. Forage and Mangoes were highly preferred, while cassava peels and pawpaw the least preferred. The behaviour of Maxwell's duikers in captivity was studied using a continuous focal observation, to observe, time and record activities. Activities varied significantly (P<0.05) and were influenced by period of day. The results also showed differences in activities between sexes due to period of day. Lying down was the dominant activity, especially in the night followed by walking, standing and eating. Play was observed only in the mornings.