European Journal of Wildlife Research最新文献

Wildlife monitoring is key for the effective management of natural resources. Hunting-based data (e.g., hunting bag statistics) is an important source of information to overcome the financial constraints imposed to long-term monitoring. Here, taking advantage of three decades (1989–2022) of hunting bag statistics of wild mammals in Portugal, we present the trends and discuss the issues regarding nine game species (five wild ungulates, two carnivores and two lagomorphs). Our results show that hunting bag statistics mirror the general population trends of wild mammal populations at a national scale. The data reflects the increase in number and distribution of roe deer, red deer and wild boar, and the recent expansion experienced by the Egyptian mongoose. The decline in the numbers of European wild rabbit and Iberian hare harvested are also noticeable. Hunting-based data have been used in several research contexts; however, this information is usually affected by geographical, temporal and recording bias. Portugal is no exception. Engaging the interested stakeholders is pivotal to ensure data quality. By reporting reliable and systematically collected hunting data, game managers and wildlife researchers will be able to better understand the main drivers of population dynamics, adjust hunting bags towards sustainable yield and assess the ecological and socio-economic relevance of the hunting sector.

The pinyon jay Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to its continued decline in the wild caused by impacts to its unique pinyon-juniper woodland habitat. Recent reviews do not mention commercial trade as a threat and no information is given on use and trade at all. Here we provide evidence of recent international trade in pinyon jays observed in the European Union. We recommend listing the species in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to enable the monitoring of international trade. Additionally, the desirability of a listing in a higher appendix of CITES at the next Conference of the Parties, as a more restrictive measure, should be assessed, as it may provide a necessary tool to prevent illegal international trade from becoming an additional threat for this unique North American songbird.

Detailed knowledge of dietary preferences in wild species are important both for understanding evolutionary processes as well as for their conservation. By means of DNA metabarcoding analysis of faecal samples, we investigated the diet of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), a mountain ungulate characterised by strong sexual dimorphism and segregation, and analysed differences between male and female diet. Despite a low level of selectivity, we found differences in the diet of males and females that consumed different plant in different quantities. Differences were maintained during both spring and summer. Males tended to feed more on plants richer in fibres (i.e., grasses and sedges) and showed stronger seasonal differences while females consumed more digestible plant families (i.e., forbs). Differences in diet between male and female Alpine ibex are compatible with the strong sexual dimorphism and segregation typical of the species and with female reproductive constraints. These results also show that conservation actions have to take into account different ecological needs of males and females in species characterized by sexual dimorphism and segregation.

Habitat loss and encroachment lead to conservation challenges such as human-elephant conflicts (HEC). Understanding the patterns and predictors of HEC is crucial to identify priority areas for mitigation efforts. Accordingly, a study was conducted across the forest divisions of Tamil Nadu, India. We collected HEC data for 2016–2021 from the forest department compensation database maintained in forest divisions. Our analysis encompassed division-wise, crop-wise, conflict-wise assessments, temporal analysis and conflict risk modelling (CRM). We divided the forest divisions into 4 different zones based on the variables that likely influence HEC. The results revealed that conflict frequency was higher in the forest range Denkankottai, located in the Hosur division, which falls under Zone 1. HEC was higher from November to January in correspondence with the cropping season. Elephants primarily damaged millet (ragi) (Eleusine coracana), with n = 2,182, particularly during November and December, followed by banana (Musa genus) with n = 1,690. The CRM predicts that the southwest and northwest regions of Tamil Nādu had higher conflict risks and area coverage of medium and high conflict risk zones as 17,025 km² and 3521 km², respectively. The CRM revealed that the most significant variables in predicting conflict risk are the annual mean temperature, human modification index, and digital elevation model. Areas with higher conflict risk were closer to forest cover, croplands, roads, and water bodies. These regions typically had lower terrain ruggedness, higher human modification, lower temperatures, and dense vegetation. The present study’s findings underscore the need for a comprehensive and multidimensional approach to managing HEC, which is crucial for fostering coexistence between humans and elephants in the region.

Leopardus wiedii and Leopardus pardalis are endangered small felids. Its main altitudinal range expands from sea level to 1,500 m. Camera traps were placed in the Matawi Indigenous Park on the Nevado de Toluca Volcano. Photographic records were obtained of L. wiedii at 3,207 masl and of L. pardalis at 3,307 masl. This is the highest altitudinal record for margay in its distribution, and for ocelot is the highest in the northern hemisphere.

Human-bird conflicts are in a critical state, involving economic losses such as agricultural losses, bird strikes on aircraft and avian influenza. Traditional technologies leveraging bird vision and hearing often lose their effectiveness over time as birds become habituated to these stimuli. To address these challenges, our study introduces a novel countermeasure technology based on neurophysiology. The human brain reacts to flickering light, which can cause symptoms like headaches, nausea, and dizziness. In extremely rare cases, 15 Hz flickering red light can even lead to epilepsy. Not only humans, but chickens also suffer from 14 Hz flickering light. This led us to consider the possibility that similar flickering light stimuli could be applicable to bird management. In our experiments conducted during the day, we used long-range flashlights. White flickering light had no effect on bird escape behavior. However, when cellophane film was attached to the flashlights to restrict the wavelength, the emitted red light induced escape behavior in birds. Additionally, employing two types of flashlights to generate flickering red + blue or red + green lights elicited escape behavior. However, the blue and green combination proved to be less effective. The most intense flickering frequency for crows was 15 Hz. These results are highly similar to those found in human neurophysiology, showing that red light alone and the combination of red and blue lights have the most significant impact on the brain. By measuring the flight initiation distance (FID) of birds, we found that illuminated areas had a significantly higher FID (137 m) compared to non-illuminated areas (12 m). These findings suggest that applying principles of human physiology to wildlife management can offer new solutions for bird damage control.

Migratory waterfowl are a harvested resource shared among multiple European countries, exposing them to potential overexploitation. Management of take is challenging since the life cycle of migratory waterfowl consists of several stages distributed among several locations, with possible spatio-temporal overlap among populations with differing population trends. Successful harvest management in such situations requires knowledge about the connections between breeding and non-breeding locations, and where birds are harvested. Breeding populations of Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope) are declining in Finland, underlining the need for more effective harvest management. Relative proportions and temporal distribution of local breeding birds and migrants from a larger Russian breeding population within the Finnish hunting bag has been unknown to date. We studied spatio-temporal origins of Finnish harvested wigeon by measuring stable-hydrogen (δ²H) isotope values from legally harvested birds. We modelled the changes in δ²H values of the feather samples within the hunting season using Gaussian processes and found that the origin of harvested wigeon in Finland changed during the hunting season and differed by age and sex. In juveniles and adult females but not in adult males, origin of harvested birds shifted from local and possibly western Russian birds to more long-distance migratory birds during the harvest season. These patterns likely reflected sex- and age-specific differences in migratory behaviour of Eurasian wigeon in the East Atlantic flyway, which can be used to guide future management and conservation of this species through the implementation of spatio-temporal harvest regulation.

The raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis), a gastrointestinal nematode parasite of the raccoon (Procyon lotor), is the causative agent of a zoonotic disease that can cause severe neurological sequelae and even fatal cases. The parasite is now established in Europe and, while not present in all raccoon populations, it is currently expanding its range. Understanding the geographic distribution of the roundworm is a necessity for public health. Here, we report the first detections of the raccoon roundworm from Luxembourg. We used genetic techniques to test whether the roundworm originated from a distinct introduction event or entered the country by natural dispersal. We detected two roundworms in a raccoon that was road-killed in Echternach, northeastern Luxembourg. Furthermore, in a wildlife rescue centre, roundworms were detected in the latrine of an enclosure containing seven raccoons. Using different genetic techniques, we showed the Echternach roundworms to originate from the nearest German population, while the rescue centre roundworms were genetically distinct. By genotyping the host from a roundworm DNA extract, we identified a raccoon originating from southwest Luxembourg as the host of at least one roundworm. Roundworms are thus colonising Luxembourg both by natural dispersal and from an introduced population. The (potential) hosts all originated from the local population, suggesting that imported/introduced roundworms have already spread to the local raccoon population. Authorities should act as though the parasite is already widespread in the country, raising awareness among the public and individuals with occupational contact with raccoons.

The cost-effectiveness of different attractants during camera trapping surveys has been seldom evaluated. To contribute in filling this knowledge gap we (1) compare the effectiveness of a suite of attractants in detecting widely distributed mammals in Europe and (2) evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these attractants, by calculating the costs associated to reach a specific monitoring objective. We conducted a large-scale field experiment across four study areas in central and northern Italy, encompassing a variety of environments, from lowland forest to alpine beech forest. We focused on comparing the following low cost and readily available attractants: sardines, peanut butter, a commercial lure and we used a camera with no attractant as control, collecting data on a suite of small to large mammals. We found that for seven of our 13 target species detectability varied with the type of attractant used. Specifically, sardines proved to be the most effective attractant for canids and the porcupine, peanut butter was most effective for mustelids but was avoided by the roe deer, whereas the commercial lure was the most effective with red deer. Through a power analysis combined with a cost function analysis we were able to show striking differences in the cost-effectiveness of the different methods, sometimes in the order of magnitude of tens of thousands of euros, which strongly emphasizes the critical importance played by the choice of whether to use an attractant or not and the type of attractant to be used.

Our research endeavors to evaluate the precise ramifications of climate change on Iran’s protected regions, utilizing species distribution modeling to anticipate the effects of climate change on 394 bird species, 157 plant species, 72 reptiles, and 20 mammals across two climate change scenarios: SSP245 and SSP585 in 2070. Subsequently, we employed binary species distribution maps to determine the extent of overlap between 125 protected areas, 27 wildlife refuges, and 15 national parks and species distribution, quantifying the proportion of these areas encompassed by their distribution. We found that under the SSP585 scenario, 174 bird species could experience a 319% expansion in suitable habitats, while 220 species could decline by 57.1%. Among plants, 16 species are projected to grow by 40.3%, whereas 141 species may decrease by 68.8%. Reptiles could experience an increase of 279.1% in 24 species, with a 66.6% decrease in 48 species, while mammals may witness a significant increase of 147.3% in 5 species, but a 71.8% decrease in 15 species. Also, under the SSP585 scenario, in national parks, bird coverage declines from 32.2% (current) to 19.9%, plants from 24.2 to 13.2%, reptiles from 18.4 to 6.8%, and mammals from 17.7 to 10%. In wildlife refuges, birds decrease from 9.7 to 5.7%, plants from 10.9 to 4.6%, reptiles from 12.9 to 2.5%, and mammals from 7.4 to 4.3%. In protected areas, birds drop from 29.3 to 20.4%, plants from 27.7 to 12.5%, reptiles from 18.7 to 9.7%, and mammals from 24 to 12.1%. The low overlap of species with national parks, wildlife refuges, and protected areas underscores the importance of re-evaluating and potentially expanding protected areas to ensure they encompass a broader range of habitats, particularly those that are underrepresented, to enhance the conservation of Iran’s biodiversity amidst the challenges posed by climate change.