Flight Behavioural Responses for African Ungulates across Species and Vegetation Covers in a Trophy Hunting Ecosystem: A Case Study from Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania

Trophy hunting has severe consequences on wild animals’ behaviors, which in return implications for affecting wildlife populations. The Selous Game Reserve is a protected area Tanzania that been subjected to commercial trophy decades, and information about the effects of welfare still scarce. Flight Initiating Distance (FID) can be good measure evaluate animals level risk perception towards anthropogenic disturbances, including hunting. study used linear mixed models assess flight responses twelve commonly hunted species game reserve (S.G.R.). compared animal vigilance between species, vegetation types, group size. FID varied with more was observed zebras, elands, wildebeests, sable antelopes. found significant influence cover individual species’ FID. Further, size (L. M. M., 95% CI = 0.590 - 4.762), there decrease an increase wildebeests. At same time, other such as buffaloes, eland, hartebeests, had their FIDs increasing We conclude impact savannah ungulates varies covers, species. Regulatory authorities should consider minimum approach distances by hunters different reduce biological disturbances.