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Wildlife Research Wildlife Research Society
Ecology, management and conservation in natural and modified habitats
Wildlife Research

Wildlife Research

Volume 48 Number 7 2021

WR20107Animal welfare testing for shooting and darting free-ranging wildlife: a review and recommendations

Jordan O. Hampton 0000-0003-0472-3241, Jon M. Arnemo, Richard Barnsley, Marc Cattet, Pierre-Yves Daoust, Anthony J. DeNicola, Grant Eccles, Don Fletcher, Lyn A. Hinds 0000-0002-4125-2357, Rob Hunt, Timothy Portas, Sigbjørn Stokke, Bruce Warburton and Claire Wimpenny
pp. 577-589
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Shooting and darting of wildlife are techniques that rely on ballistics and impose animal-welfare risks. The present study reviews assessment methods suitable for animal welfare testing of new ballistic technology and the consequences of forgoing testing. We make recommendations for how to assess ballistic techniques before widespread use. Photograph by Richard Barnsley.

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Population surveys are among the most important tools for conservation research. The present study aimed to compare the results between two different survey methods for Geoffroy’s spider monkeys, and found that the size of the survey area explains differences between them. We make recommendations for the use of sampling methods for arboreal mammals in tropical forests. Photograph by Anja Hutschenreiter.

WR20183Post-nesting movements and feeding ground distribution by the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) from rookeries in the Torres Strait

Claire E. Barr, Mark Hamann 0000-0003-4588-7955, Takahiro Shimada 0000-0002-3364-5169, Ian Bell, Colin J. Limpus and Janine Ferguson
pp. 598-608
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Hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Torres Strait are understudied, with little known on the nesting behaviour, migration, and foraging habitats from which this population originates. We used satellite telemetry to investigate the post-nesting movements of hawksbills, including inter-nesting, migration and foraging behaviours. Our results identified areas for conservation initiatives and inform future management practices for this species. Photograph by Takahiro Shimada.

WR20006Seasonal habitat suitability models for a threatened species: the Gunnison sage-grouse

Anthony D. Apa 0000-0002-7209-7695, Kevin Aagaard, Mindy B. Rice, Evan Phillips, Daniel J. Neubaum, Nathan Seward, Julie R. Stiver and Scott Wait
pp. 609-624
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Habitat use models are powerful tools in the conservation and management of wildlife species. Our study aimed to produce habitat models that predict the probability of use by a declining species, the Gunnison sage-grouse. We have provided the first seasonal habitat models for isolated satellite populations and recommend caution in applying over-arching uniform habitat management prescriptions across the range of the species. Photograph by Bob Cress.

WR20120Cost-effectiveness of thermal imaging for monitoring a cryptic arboreal mammal

Christopher A. Pocknee 0000-0002-4435-9571, José J. Lahoz-Monfort, Roger W. Martin and Brendan A. Wintle
pp. 625-634
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Effective conservation of any species is difficult without a clear picture of population trends. We aimed to improve monitoring of Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo, a species that is typically hard to detect, showing that thermal imaging technology is more cost-effective than are traditional survey methods. This information can improve the conservation outlook for the tree-kangaroo as well as many other hard-to-detect species. Photograph by Christopher Pocknee.

WR21015New evidence of seed dispersal identified in Australian mammals

Bryony J. Palmer 0000-0002-8826-9121, Gabrielle Beca, Todd E. Erickson, Richard J. Hobbs and Leonie E. Valentine
pp. 635-642
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The role of Australian mammals in seed dispersal is poorly understood. We examined scats of five mammal species from nine sites in Western and South Australia for seeds and then tested the seeds’ viability and germination capacity. All five mammals consumed seeds, 70% of the recovered seeds were viable and five species germinated. Australian mammals play a larger role in seed dispersal than previously considered and this has implications for translocations of these mammal species. Photograph by Bryony Palmer.

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Additional fragmentation of already fragmented landscapes has emerged as a conservation issue in developed countries experiencing energy development projects that focus on extraction of unconventional gas. To address this issue we assessed the response to additional habitat fragmentation of Strophurus taenicauda (golden-tailed gecko) in the Brigalow Belt of Queensland, Australia, an area heavily fragmented by over 150 years of agricultural development. We sought to understand how fragmentation influences the occurrence and abundance of S. taenicauda and to use this information to predict how it may be impacted by the development of a coal-seam gas industry. Photograph by Eric Vanderduys.

WR20193Cats are a key threatening factor to the survival of local populations of native small mammals in Australia’s tropical savannas: evidence from translocation trials with Rattus tunneyi

Katherine Tuft 0000-0002-3585-444X, Sarah Legge 0000-0001-6968-2781, Anke S. K. Frank, Alex I. James, Tegan May, Ethan Page, Ian J. Radford 0000-0002-9388-7100, John C. Z. Woinarski 0000-0002-1712-9500, Alaric Fisher, Michael J. Lawes, Iain J. Gordon and Chris N. Johnson
pp. 654-662
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Feral cats are thought to be a key factor driving declines of small mammals in northern Australia. However, evidence thus far remains circumstantial and correlative. In this trial, we tested survival of pale field rats, Rattus tunneyi, when translocated into experimental enclosures where access by cats was manipulated. Cats rapidly killed rats in cat-accessible enclosures, demonstrating that even at low densities, feral cats can drive small mammal populations to extinction. Photograph by Ethan Page.

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Compensatory mechanisms may arise in overabundant koala populations subject to long-term fertility-control management, leading to increased breeding success in the untreated population and by allowing females to begin breeding at a lower overall body condition. The steady decline in koala densities observed throughout the management period is a good indicator that despite compensatory effects, fertility control has played a role in reducing koala densities to sustainable levels. Photograph by Jane Roberts.

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