Translocation and radio-telemetry monitoring of pygmy marmoset, Cebuella pygmaea (Spix, 1823), in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Two groups of pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea) were rescued along the left bank of the Madeira River during the formation of Santo Antônio Hydroelectric Dam reservoir in the state of Rondônia, Northern Brazil. Reintroduction of both groups occurred in areas of open Tropical rainforest located within the project´s Permanent Preservation Area. A post-release monitoring was conducted for three months using radio-telemetry. Individuals of each group remained together and settled in stable home ranges near their respective release sites. The mortality rate of translocated animals was about 7%. This seems to be the first report documenting the complete group translocation of C. pygmaea and the first to successfully employ radio-telemetry techniques in monitoring this species. This study demonstrated the feasibility of translocation and the use of radio-telemetry in monitoring C. pygmaea.Keywords: Cebuella pygmaea, translocation, radio-telemetry, wildlife rescue, conservation. Translocação e monitoramento por radiotelemetria do mico-leãozinho,Cebuella pygmaea (Spix, 1823), na Amazônia brasileira Resumo Dois grupos de mico leãozinho (Cebuella pygmaea) foram resgatados ao longo da margem esquerda do Rio Madeira durante o enchimento do reservatório da Usina Hidrelétrica Santo Antônio, em Rondônia, norte do Brasil. A reintrodução de ambos os grupos deu-se em áreas de floresta ombrófila densa aberta dentro da Área de Preservação Permanente do empreendimento. Após a reintrodução, empregou-se a técnica de radiotelemetria para o monitoramento dos animais por aproximadamente três meses. Cada um dos grupos manteve-se coeso e estabeleceu suas áreas de vida em regiões próximas àquelas onde foram soltos. A taxa de mortalidade foi de aproximadamente 7%. Este parece ser o primeiro trabalho a documentar a translocação de grupos completos de C. pygmaea e o primeiro a empregar com sucesso a radiotelemetria no monitoramento desta espécie. Este estudo, portanto, demonstra a factibilidade da translocação e do uso da radio-telemetria para monitorar C. pygmaea.

Review of hyperdispersal in wildlife translocations

“…Rodent translocations showed a large discrepancy between the conservative (4.3%) and inclusive (31.5%) estimates of incidence. Hyperdispersal in primate translocations varied considerably from up to 100% in smaller primates (Dias et al., 2015) to just 2% of translocated gorillas (King et al., 2012). Projects trended toward small sample sizes, due to social dependency (Dias et al., 2015; Richard‐Hansen et al., 2000) and limited stock (King et al., 2012).…”

“…Hyperdispersal in primate translocations varied considerably from up to 100% in smaller primates (Dias et al., 2015) to just 2% of translocated gorillas (King et al., 2012). Projects trended toward small sample sizes, due to social dependency (Dias et al., 2015; Richard‐Hansen et al., 2000) and limited stock (King et al., 2012). Many reintroductions used animals sourced from captivity, such as rescues from the illegal wildlife trade (Osterberg et al., 2015), so hyperdispersal rates may not be representative of wild‐sourced translocations.…”

“…The translocation of social groups was used to limit hyperdispersal in 3 out of 4 studies reporting success (75%). Reintroducing an established social group comes with the benefits of familiarity and an existing social hierarchy (Dias et al., 2015; Kleiman, 1989; Shier, 2006), which may reduce movement (Clarke et al., 2002; Dias et al., 2015). This technique has been used in herding mammals (Franceschini et al., 2008; Pinter‐Wollman et al., 2009) and group‐living carnivores (Balestrieri et al., 2006; Woodroffe & Ginsberg, 1999) and birds (Bennett et al., 2012; Clarke et al., 2002).…”

Gone With the Water: The Loss of Genetic Variability in Black and Gold Howler Monkeys (Alouatta caraya) Due to Dam Construction

“…De Sá (2004 observed an increase in the population density of Plecturocebus, Pithecia, and Samiri in the adjacent habitat just after the release, but an abrupt decrease in the same in subsequent years. Another example, also in Brazil, reports a telemetry follow-up that found that only 7% translocated Cebuella pygmaea survived 3 months after release (Dias et al, 2015).…”