Predicting the spatial distribution of hunted and non-hunted Sable antelope (Hippotragus niger niger) using remotely sensed woody cover in a Southern African savanna

From remotely sensed woody cover, we tested whether sables under hunting pressure preferred closed woodland habitats and whether those not under hunting preferred more open woodland habitats. We applied a two factorial logistic regression analysis to model the probability of occurrence of sable antelope in hunted and non-hunted areas of northwest Zimbabwe as a function of vegetation cover density (estimated by a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)). We validated the results by high-spatial resolution imagery derived tree canopy area. We subsequently compared the predictions from the two models in order to compare sable cover selection between hunted and non-hunted areas. Our results suggest that hunted sables are likely to select closed woodland, while non-hunted ones would prefer more open woodland habitats. We also established a significant positive relationship between NDVI and tree canopy cover, thus emphasizing the importance of remote sensing in studies that measure the impact of hunting on habitat selection of targeted species.