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Article History

Received: 14 March 2026

Accepted: 7 July 2026

First Online: 17 July 2026

Declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate: The research protocol received formal ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Mekelle University (MU_IRB 2022/2023). Subsequent administrative and ethical endorsements were obtained from the Omo park Office before any field activities commenced. Each prospective participant was thoroughly informed about the study’s aims, procedures, potential risks, and benefits, written and verbal informed consent was secured from every individual, explicitly confirming their voluntary participation. It was autonomous consent and uncoerced participation. Participants retained an unconditional right to refusal or withdrawal at any time without penalty. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Consent for publication: Not applicable.

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.