Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

The systematic study of vertebrate pests in agriculture in Nigeria spans only two decades. The species composition of vertebrate pests has been determined in crops like cocoa, oil palm, maize, and rice. The ecology of a few important pest species has been studied. Because of its devastating destruction of many graminaceous crops over most parts of Africa, the red-billed quelea (Quelea quelea) has been studied more intensively than other avian pests. Other avian pests include the village weaverbird and the bush fowl. The ecology of some mammalian pests has also been studied: a research programme has been started at the University of Ibadan on the management, domestication, and breeding of one of the most notorious rodent pests, the cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus). The present report presents an up-to-date knowledge of the identity of those mammals and birds that cause damage on farmlands and in stores.