Ethnoecology, Resource Use, Conservation And Development In A ...

8.1.5 Hunting of armadillos: Dasypus novemcinctus, D. kappleri,
Cabassous unicinctus, Priodontes maximus
Many of the hunting techniques for Dasypus spp. correspond to those for laba, owing
to some pertinent behavioural similarities. The tendency to use regular trails allows
the construction of a wabun. They also sleep in holes during the day - their presence
is betrayed by a cloud of insects, which are their constant companions, at the mouth
of the burrow - and can be located and dug out by the same methods. P. maximus
can not be caught in the same way as it burrows at too high a speed. Owing to its
rarity, it is infrequently caught; the few captures of which I was told all resulted from
chance encounters. Cabassous unicinctus, mainly found on the savannah, is one of
the few species reported to have been severely diminished in number. It was
apparently very common, even in the vicinity of the village, within living memory.
However, the introduction of a novel and infallible technique for their capture -
flooding out of the burrow with a bucket of water - led to the severe depletion of this
species within all frequently visited areas.
8.1.6 Gathering of animal foods
The strategies used for the location of yellow- and red-footed tortoises (Geocheleone
spp.) vary seasonally. Ethnoecological informants described seasonal changes in the
activity patterns of these species, resulting from seasonal variation in food
availability, of which this flexibility is a result. The scarcity of fruit during the dry
season obliges them to be highly mobile, and at this time of year they are most
commonly found during the course of their travels. Many that I observed to be
captured at this time of year were encountered by chance when people were
travelling in the forest for other main purposes. Others were found when people
searched for them in the vicinity of trees known to be a source of their food at that
particular time of year.
In the rainy season the abundance of fruit allows the tortoises to adopt more
sessile habits. Food is easily located and when not feeding the tortoises are reported
to spend most of their time hiding in leaf litter or wood debris. People out and about
in the forest will actively search for them at the base of the trees whose fruits or
flowers they eat, and in areas suitable for hiding nearby. In the latter process,
assistance may be provided by a dog with appropriate training, able to sniff out and
uncover hidden tortoises.