Publications
A survey of wildlife and human activities in the Sikondi Forest, Cameroon Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Hundreds of mammal species are found in Cameroon and many, including great apes, occur in non-protected areas. The Sikondi Forest in eastern Cameroon is one such area. A survey of wildlife and human activities was conducted in this forest in December 2022. The survey aimed to determine the abundance and distribution of chimpanzees and other wildlife species, the extent of human activities, and the distribution of wildlife in relation to human ...
Pulmonary aspergillosis in Humboldt penguins-Susceptibility patterns and molecular epidemiology of clinical and environmental Aspergillus fumigatus isolates from a Belgian zoo, 2017-2022 Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Biased cultural transmission of a social custom in chimpanzees Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Cultural transmission studies in animals have predominantly focused on identifying between-group variation in tool-use techniques, while immaterial cultures remain understudied despite their potential for highlighting similarities between human and animal culture. Here, using long-term data from two chimpanzee communities, we tested whether one of chimpanzees' most enigmatic social customs-the grooming handclasp-is culturally transmitted by ...
Chimpanzees communicate to coordinate a cultural practice Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp University of Antwerp
Human culture thrives by virtue of communication, yet whether communication plays an influential role in the cultural lives of other animals remains understudied. Here, we investigated whether chimpanzees use communication to engage in a cultural practice by analysing grooming handclasp (GHC) interactions-a socio-cultural behaviour requiring interindividual coordination for successful execution. Previous accounts attributed GHC initiations to ...
SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Captive Hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius), Belgium Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp University of Antwerp
Two adult female hippos in Zoo Antwerp who were naturally infected with SARS-CoV-2 showed nasal discharge for a few days. Virus was detected by immunocytochemistry and PCR in nasal swab samples and by PCR in faeces and pool water. Serology was also positive. No treatment was necessary.
Assessing the effects of survey-inherent disturbance on primate detectability: Recommendations for line transect distance sampling Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Habitat destruction and over-hunting are increasingly threatening the arboreal primates of Central Africa. To establish effective conservation strategies, accurate assessments of primate density, abundance, and spatial distribution are required. To date, the method of choice for primate density estimation is line transect distance sampling. However, primates fleeing human observers violate methodological assumptions, biasing the accuracy of ...
Mapping suitable habitat for Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzees in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, North-Western Cameroon Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Great apes lose suitable habitats required for their reproduction and survival due to human activities across their distribution range in Africa. Little is known about habitat suitability of the Nigeria–Cameroon chimpanzee [Pan troglodytes ellioti (Matschie, 1914)], particularly for populations inhabiting forest reserves in North-West Cameroon. To address this knowledge gap, we employed a common species distribution model (MaxEnt) to map and ...
Maximum entropy modeling of giant pangolin Smutsia gigantea (Illiger, 1815) habitat suitability in a protected forest-savannah transition area of central Cameroon Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Across the planet, biodiversity is facing ever-growing threats including habitat loss, climate change, overexploitation, and pollution. Pangolins of the order Pholidota are the only scaly mammal species worldwide and are considered the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, being widely exploited for their meat and scales. The giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea, GP) is one of the least studied species of this order, with little being known ...
Tool use by Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees for driver ant predation in Kom-Wum Forest Reserve, North-West Region Cameroon Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
Chimpanzees feed on driver ants (Dorylus sp.) using different tools and predation techniques that vary among populations and can be affected by availability of ant species as well as ecological and sociallearning factors. At the Kom-Wum Forest Reserve (KWFR) in Cameroon, we investigated tool use behavior in Nigerian-Cameroon chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ellioti), examining the characteristics of tools used in driver ant predation, looking for ...