Testing the Short-Term Effectiveness of Various Deterrents for Reducing Crop Foraging by Primates

Crop foraging by wildlife is a major driver of negative interactions between farmers and wildlife, and yet there are few published examples of effective solutions to deter wildlife from crops. Here we investigate the effectiveness of six different methods to deter primates from crop foraging on commercial farms in South Africa. Model snakes and bioacoustic sounds had no effect on chacma baboons (Papio ursinus). A leopard model and the sound of bees reduced the foraging duration at bait stations of vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) and baboons, respectively. Human sounds appeared to reduce the number of days baboons visited a bait station, but not their foraging duration. Only an electric fence was effective at keeping both baboons and vervets out of a crop field. We encourage modifications to electric fence designs to avoid electrocution of smaller animals and make recommendations for other deterrent methods which require further investigation.