Wildlife Research
Sun Apr 24 04:48:02 EDT 2011
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How can warren destruction by ripping control European wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) on large properties in the Australian arid zone? - D. Berman, M. Brennan, P. Elsworth - Volume 38(1)

Biological control of rabbits has not stopped the damage to cattle production and the environment in arid Australia. On a property, where rabbits have shown exceptional resilience to control, experimental destruction of warrens by ripping immediately reduced rabbit numbers to very low levels and seven years after ripping no active warrens were found in ripped plots. Effective control could be achieved by only ripping warrens in drought refuge areas for a fraction of the cost of ripping all warrens. Photograph by D. Berman.

Understanding faunal ecology is crucial to effectively manage and minimise impacts of anthropogenic habitat disturbance in production forests. This study of the influence of forest type and disturbance on Tasmania's forest fauna found that, apart from brushtail possums, small to medium mammal populations were not significantly affected by forest harvesting in the medium term. Although harvest altered abundance of some habitat features, their availability in the surrounding landscape may mitigate the potential effects of disturbance on species that rely on them. Photograph by Helen Stephens.

Population and behavioural studies of pinnipeds require the identification of individuals over periods ranging from a single season to an entire lifetime. We examined the efficacy of hot-iron branding as a permanent marking technique in NZ sea lions confirming that 100% of animals could be identified from brands after 10 years, and that survival estimates were similar, but more robust than those of tagged animals. The technique is an effective permanent marking method, providing robust parameter estimates and not compromising survival. Photograph by P. Duignan.

The removal of rats from islands can deliver immense benefits to wildlife, but only if there is minimal mortality of other species from the poison routinely used, the anti-coagulant brodifacoum. Since unique endemic species of snail are often found on the remote islands from which rats are eradicated, it is vital to know whether snails are susceptible to brodifacoum, a topic about which earlier studies have yielded conflicting results. This study, carried out on the remote South Pacific island of Henderson, indicates that the island's endemic snails are not at risk from brodifacoum.

The use of wild guanacos may contribute to their conservation by providing an economic alternative to rural inhabitants. Nevertheless, the physiological impacts of this activity have not been addressed yet. As a first step the acute stress response of guanacos after capture and shearing was evaluated. Serum cortisol concentration, as stress indicator, was significantly increased by handling time and this response was consistently lower in males than females. This work provides new information that can improve guanaco welfare during management and may have implications for their conservation. Photograph by Sergio Edgar Aguirre.

We used proximity loggers to investigate interactions among rabbits in Australia. Rabbits in the same social group maintained strong and stable associations, whereas interactions between rabbits of different groups were infrequent and less stable. These patterns were consistent across two study populations and have implications for patterns of disease transmission. Photograph by M. K. Marsh.

For research involving animals captured from the wild, a decision must be made as to the fate of these animals at the conclusion of the study. My results suggest that southern brown bandicoots maintained in captivity for non-invasive physiological experiments can be successfully released back into the wild. This provides researchers, wildlife managers and animal ethics committees with information to assist with making judgements concerning the fate of ex-research animals. Photograph by William Parkinson.

Control of introduced predators comes with risks to native (non-target) species and these risks have the potential to result in negative conservation outcomes. We assessed the risk of using a bait for cat control where the toxin is encapsulated in a pellet. The results demonstrated that cats are likely to consume the bait and pellet; however, the results also strongly implied naive species will also ingest the pellet. Photograph by Duncan Sutherland.

As the success of animal translocations can be hindered by excess post-release dispersal, we tested if broadcasting conspecific song can encourage local territory settlement close to a release site. Although we found a positive short-term attraction to playback, final territory settlement was unaffected. The lack of a clear and lasting effect of song playback on long-term dispersal in our study demonstrates the limited utility of this technique as a conservation management tool for this species. Photograph by David Bradley.

Human–wildlife conflicts are increasing throughout the world, due to human population growth, development pressure and climate change. Conflicts can be exacerbated by a lack of understanding of the factors underlying them. Approaches to conflict management which take account of both the ecological impacts and the underlying social drivers and involve stakeholders in a participatory way are most likely to yield the best overall outcomes. Photograph by Piran C. L. White.

Populations of elk and other cervids are locally abundant in many regions of the world and causing increased levels and variety of damage as a result of human management or lack thereof. We reviewed the literature relative to elk damage and methods of addressing this growing concern. Our synthesis will aid managers in making prudent decisions for alleviating elk damage under various situations.

Human behaviours drive biodiversity loss, so understanding what influences people to act in a certain way is essential for designing effective conservation interventions. Behaviour is influenced by economic considerations but also by individual's attitudes and social pressure from others. Social psychology offers a useful framework for studying these predictors of human behaviour and deserves more attention from conservation scientists interested in influencing the behaviours that directly impact biodiversity.

The management of wild deer is a controversial topic: wild deer bring benefits for some people, but they can also cause economic and environmental damage. By presenting British deer managers with a number of alternative scenarios for future deer populations, this research highlights the differences in management priorities between private landowners responsible for deer management and government bodies responsible for conservation. Understanding the causes of these differences is the first step in establishing more effective management of deer populations at the landscape level.

Domestic dogs are the main rabies reservoir in the developing world, with rabies control campaigns focussing on dog vaccination or population control. Recently developed immunocontraceptives could provide a cheaper, faster way of applying fertility control to large numbers of dogs, especially in urban areas with high population densities. Using a standard epidemiological model, we show that applying fertility control to dogs alongside rabies vaccines could reduce the effort required for rabies eradication, and make control successful in a wider range of situations.

Fox predation has a major impact on small animal populations and livestock production throughout Australia. This study monitored fox management programs conducted across 4.5 million hectares of regional NSW, and found that the survival of a major prey species, lambs, was effected by the timing, frequency and spatial coverage of the fox control activities. These results support the development and promotion of coordinated group participation in fox management programs at a regional scale.

Developing tools that prevent wolves from killing livestock will benefit livestock producers and ultimately help create more tolerance for these large carnivores on the landscape. We found that combining electricity with an age-old method of frightening wolves creates a better non-lethal tool (electric fladry) for protecting livestock in small pastures. But getting livestock producers to reliably use electric fladry will require more work in the field to determine if its benefits outweigh its costs. Photograph by Stewart W. Breck.

Successful conservation of large predators worldwide is strictly dependent on how we effectively mitigate predators-farmer conflicts. Ex-post compensation is commonly adopted to mitigate such conflicts, but rarely agencies responsible for carnivore conservation have assessed its effectiveness. By reporting wolf-livestock compensation paid in Italy, where compensation programs have been adopted for more than 35 years, we conclude that they are currently fraud with many problems. Referring to a broader spectrum of incentives for environmental services, we call for alternative approaches to compensation to enhance the efficiency of large carnivores conservation.

A shift in public attitudes to the natural environment through the 20th century has led to legal protection for many species in the UK, and to some notable conservation successes, but the recovery of some species has resulted in new conflicts and risks of a reversal in the generally favourable public perception of wildlife. Using England as a case study, we review the role of legislation in managing human-wildlife conflicts and identify the key challenges facing managers and regulators. To manage conflict in a way that recognises human aspirations for both economic prosperity and a diverse natural environment we need to ensure that regulation balances the legitimate interests of people and the conservation of wildlife, that wildlife managers have the necessary tools to achieve this balance and that there is greater common understanding in public attitudes to wildlife. Photograph by Anthony O'Connor.

Livestock producers worldwide are negatively affected by livestock losses because of predators and wildlife-transmitted diseases, yet few management tools to address this topic have been experimentally tested. Our field experiments on cattle farms demonstrated that livestock-protection dogs (LPDs) reduced the use of predators and white-tailed deer in livestock pastures. LPDs are a proactive management tool that livestock producers can implement to minimise predation and disease transmission from wildlife, and may have more general conservation applications for protecting other valuable wildlife. Photograph by Cat Urbigit.

Carnivores predating on livestock are often translocated to protected areas, but does this really reduce human–wildlife conflict? We monitored four leopards released into Khutse Game Reserve, Botswana; three of them resumed stock-raiding and were shot when ranging outside of protected areas, which apparently was a consequence of being released into an area already occupied by territorial conspecifics. Therefore, we conclude that efforts to reduce conflict should rather focus on improving livestock-husbandry practices.Photograph by David R. Mills.

The ongoing and unprecedented expansion of the marine renewable energy industry in European and other seas, includes extensive offshore wind farms and the deployment of a range of new subsurface technologies. The likely impacts of this expansion on cetaceans are poorly known but may be significant, with the noise from pile driving during construction identified as a particular concern. Precautionary mitigation and improved liaison between nations is called for. Photograph by Charlie Phillips.

Diseases pose a major direct or indirect threat to the conservation of endangered species, and stakeholder conflict over its management can reduce conservation success. This paper explains the different ways that conflict can affect conservation and discusses some approaches to management, identifying that education, a multidisciplinary approach and the novel application of techniques to identify resolution strategies are important. If adopted, these methods could reduce the costs and dramatically improve the success of conservation efforts affected by disease-related conflict. Photograph by Pelayo Acevedo.

Road mortality can be a serious threat to wildlife, but there are very few published data on its effect on the dynamics of populations. We studied the impact of road mortality on the population dynamics of tammar wallabies on Garden Island, Western Australia and found that high numbers of road-kills were acting to limit the growth of the population in modified habitats, but were likely to cause a decline in populations in unmodified habitat. Our results demonstrate the importance of understanding the impact of road mortality on population dynamics rather than relying on the assumption that a large number of deaths equates to a threat to a population. Photograph by Brian Chambers.

Habitat fragmentation and loss of breeding habitats could lead to a higher concentration of birds nesting in small suitable patches, which might reveal a different nest-predator response (density-dependent predation). Our results with simulated duck nests showed nest density is generally not a factor affecting nest predation and that mammalian predators were the main nest predators in forests, whereas birds predominate in agriculture landscapes. Conservation efforts for waterfowl may need to be customised according to the nest-predator species and the landscape type. Photograph by Martin Šálek.

Feral pigs represent a significant threat to agriculture and are disease reservoirs for pathogens affecting humans, livestock and wildlife. Feral pigs in south Texas display promiscuous mating behaviour across a range of demographic conditions, where 33% of litters are sired by more than one boar. Highly promiscuous mating has implications for transmission of disease, such as swine brucellosis and pseudorabies, as well as the development of fertility control methods. Photograph by Randy W. DeYoung.