In many Ugandan rural communities, pigs are generally kept under traditional smallholder systems without basic biosecurity measures in place. In some instances, these systems are at the livestock-wildlife interface, as it is the case in Nwoya district, which is bordered by Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP). This pig system has potential for the maintenance and transmission of pathogens like African swine fever (ASF) between different herds, and also with wild pigs (warthogs and bushpigs). In this paper, we describe the spatial and temporal pattern of the movements of free ranging domestic pigs in a rural setting in Northern Uganda where ASF is endemic. We also determine their use of habitat to highlight the potential interaction hotspots between domestic pigs and between domestic and wild pig populations. We fitted 10 free-ranging domestic pigs owned by different homesteads with GPS harnesses during rainy and dry seasons. The pig home range, daily distance, activity pattern and habitat use were calculated. Our results show that the maximum area covered (MCP 100%) by the pigs varied between 35,965 and 475,077 m². The core area varied from 1,317 to 50,769 m². The pigs' home ranges were significantly bigger during the dry season than during the rainy season (Wilcoxon test, W = 22, p = 0.04). The mean full day (24 h) distance was longer in the dry season than in the rainy season (Student test, t = 2.7, p = 0.03). The pigs were mostly located within their own homestead, but they also used other homesteads, grass and crop fields. This study highlights that free-ranging domestic pigs may cover a wide area, especially during the dry season. Interestingly, the home range of pigs from different herds may overlap with areas used by wild pigs which share crops and other resources in this area. This study provides insights into a better understanding of the potential for spread of diseases such as ASF at small-scale and can be used to raise awareness of such risks and to better target implementation of preventive measures.

在乌干达的许多农村社区，猪通常被饲养在传统的小农系统下，没有基本的生物安全措施。在某些情况下，这些系统位于牲畜与野生动物的交界处，例如 Nwoya 区的情况，该区与默奇森瀑布国家公园 (MFNP) 接壤。这种猪系统具有在不同猪群之间以及野猪（疣猪和野猪）之间维持和传播非洲猪瘟 (ASF) 等病原体的潜力。在本文中，我们描述了在非洲猪瘟流行的乌干达北部农村地区自由放养家猪活动的时空模式。我们还确定它们对栖息地的使用，以突出家猪之间以及家猪和野猪种群之间的潜在相互作用热点。我们在雨季和旱季为 10 头不同宅基地的自由放养家猪安装了 GPS 背带。计算了猪的家庭范围、每日距离、活动模式和栖息地利用。我们的结果表明，猪覆盖的最大面积（MCP 100%）在 35,965 到 475,077 m 之间变化² . 核心面积从 1,317 到 50,769 m ²不等。与雨季相比，旱季猪的家范围明显更大（Wilcoxon 测试，宽 = 22, 磷= 0.04）。旱季的平均全天（24 小时）距离比雨季长（学生测试，吨 = 2.7, 磷= 0.03）。这些猪大多位于自己的宅基地内，但它们也使用其他宅基地、草地和农田。这项研究强调，自由放养的家猪可能覆盖广泛的区域，尤其是在旱季。有趣的是，来自不同猪群的猪的家庭范围可能与野猪使用的区域重叠，这些区域共享该区域的作物和其他资源。这项研究为更好地了解非洲猪瘟等疾病在小规模传播的可能性提供了见解，并可用于提高对此类风险的认识并更好地有针对性地实施预防措施。