Abstract            Volume:10  Issue-9  Year-2022         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

The study was conducted to identify habitat types common warthog population used and to assess their distribution in Dabena Valley Forest, in Gassi Controlled Area (GCHA) and Haro Aba Diko Controlled Hunting Area (HADCHA) of Western Ethiopia from May 2018 to June 2019. Data of common warthog population were collected through direct observations from the established transect lines from each habitat type. During the wet season, a total of 56 (6.2%) and 164 (18.2%) common warthog populations occurred in Combretum–Terminalia habitat of GCHA and HADCHA, respectively. However, they were insignificantly different (χ2 = 2.21, df = 1, P = 0.067). Riparian forest comprised more population estimates of common warthog in HADCHA (124 (CV= 52%) with a 95% CI of (133–115) than in GCHA (28 (CV= 83%) with a 95% CI of (26–30) during the wet season. Common warthog cluster density of Combretum–Terminalia was lower in GCHA (2.24/km²) with a 95% CI of (2.4–2.08) and higher in HADCHA (5.34 /km²) with a 95% CI of (5.72–4.96) during the dry season. Common warthog encounter rate recorded in open grassland in GCHA and HADCHA revealed significant variation (χ2 = 7.78, df = 1, P = 0.053) during the wet season and insignificant difference (χ2 = 2.61, df = 1, P = 0.071) during the dry season. Hence, the distribution of common warthog population in both study areas were associated with three vegetation zones along a transect line running from Combretum–Terminalia woodland into a grazing land in different degree.

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