L'élevage d'athérures (Atherurus africanus, Gray 1842) au Gabon

Abstract

The Breeding of Brush-tailed Porcupines (Atherurus africanus, Gray 1842) in Gabon. The brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus) is a much appreciated bush meat in Gabon. On the project "Development of Game Breeding", brush-tailed porcupines are bred in two types of enclosures : an out-door enclosure and an indoor enclosure. They are fed with a diversified diet based on tubers. To obtain a successful reproduction, one male and one female have to stay together for 60 days then the female has to be separated from the male till the birth. The brush-tailed porcupine has a satisfactory growth rate but some of the reproduction features seem to call into question the profitability of its breeding.

Keywords

• Atherurus africanus
• African rodents
• Game farming
• Wildlife utilisation