Do captive-born greater rheas Rhea americana Linnaeus (Rheiformes, Rheidae) remember antipredator training?

Azevedo, Cristiano Schetini de; Young, Robert J.

doi:10.1590/s0101-81752006000100011

Cited by 19 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…Antipredator training of captive bred Greater rheas increases vigilance, although there are considerable individual differences between birds (de Azevedo and Young, 2006a). Considerable memory capacity is illustrated in that birds retained predator recognition for almost three months (de Azevedo and Young, 2006b), illustrating that antipredator training is worthwhile in future reintroduction programs for conservation of Greater rheas (de Azevedo and Young, 2006c). With semi-captive Greater rheas in the United Kingdom it was found that group size has little effect on behaviour.…”

Section: Maintenance Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

The rhea, a ratite native to South America

Sales¹

2006

Avian & Poul. Biolog. Rev.

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Knowledge of Greater (Rhea americana) and Lesser (Pterocnemia pennata) rheas, both native to South America, are important for the purpose of conservation of wild populations as well as the potential commercialisation of captive bred animals.Whereas the different subspecies of Greater rheas are distributed through Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, habitat of Lesser rheas are mainly limited to the Argentine and Chilean Patagonia. The two Andean subspecies (Pterocnemia pennata garleppi and Pterocnemia pennata tarapacensis) of Lesser rheas are endangered in the wild. Information on divergences between rhea and other ratite taxa are still inconclusive. Anatomy and standard metabolism of rheas in general are in agreement with that of other ratite and avian species.Vigilance is an important component of daily activities. In contrast to adult birds, several different vocalizations can be distinguished in young chicks. Rheas, that reach sexual maturity between 20 and 24 months of age, can be described as polygynandric in that males are simultaneously polygynous, whereas the females are sequentially polyandrous. Only 5 to 6% of the male population bred successfully each year in the wild. Rheas are ground-nesting birds with females laying eggs for up to 12 different males during the laying season, and males incubating the eggs for a period of around 42 days. Rheas are characterised by high rates of nest desertion (65%) commonly associated with egg predation, orphan eggs laid far away from active nests, and egg stealing between males. In the wild males took care of the chicks for 4 to 6 months, with chick adoption from other broods a common phenomenon. As with other ratites rheas grow at exceptionally slow rates, with a final mature live weight of around 25 kg, depending on gender. The digestive system of the rhea is characterised by a relative huge caeca and colon, which may serve as fermentation chambers for the utilisation of fibre. Diseases and parasites commonly found in other ratites also occur in rheas. Conservation and commercialisation of rheas are hampered by a lack of knowledge about the biology and requirements of these species.

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Section: Maintenance Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

The rhea, a ratite native to South America

Sales¹

2006

Avian & Poul. Biolog. Rev.

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“…Practitioners have attempted to improve the anti‐predator responses of naïve prey through training which involves simulations intended to prompt predator recognition and anti‐predator behaviour (Azevedo & Young, ; Griffin, Blumstein, & Evans, ; McLean, Lundie‐Jenkins, & Jarman, ; Miller et al., ; Moseby, Cameron, & Crisp, ). Trialled training approaches include exposing prey to pictures/models, scents or calls of predators which are paired with an unpleasant experience such as flung elastic bands, water pistols, alarm calls and simulated attacks (Maloney & McLean, ; Moseby et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predator exposure improves anti‐predator responses in a threatened mammal

West

Letnic

Blumstein

et al. 2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Abstract1. Incorporating an understanding of animal behaviour into conservation programmes can influence conservation outcomes. Exotic predators can have devastating impacts on native prey species and thwart reintroduction efforts, in part due to prey naïveté caused by an absence of co-evolution between predators and prey.Attempts have been made to improve the anti-predator behaviours of reintroduced native prey by conducting laboratory-based predator recognition training but results have been varied and have rarely led to improved survival in reintroduction programmes.2. We investigated whether in situ predator exposure could improve anti-predator responses of a predator-naïve mammal by exposing prey populations to low densities of introduced predators under controlled conditions. We reintroduced 352 burrowing bettongs to a 26-km 2 fenced exclosure at the Arid Recovery Reserve in South Australia and exposed them to feral cats (density 0.03-0.15 cats/km 2 ) over an 18-month period. At the same time, we translocated a different group of bettongs into an exclosure free of introduced predators, as a control. We compared three behaviours (flight initiation distances, trap docility and behaviour at feeding trays) of cat-exposed and control bettongs before the translocations, then at 6, 12and 18 months post-translocation.3. Cat-exposed bettongs displayed changes in behaviour that suggested increased wariness, relative to control bettongs. At 18 months post-reintroduction, cat-exposed bettongs had greater flight initiation distances and approached feed trays more slowly than control bettongs. Cat-exposed bettongs also increased their trap docility over time. Synthesis and applications.Translocation is recommended as a conservation tool for many threatened species yet success rates are generally low. We demonstrate that controlled levels of in situ predator exposure can increase wariness in the behaviour of naïve prey. Our findings provide support for the hypothesis that in situ predator exposure could be used as a method to improve the anti-predator responses of predator-naïve threatened species populations. K E Y W O R D Santi-predator responses, anti-predator training, burrowing bettong, exotic predator, predator exposure, prey behaviour, prey naïveté, threatened species 148 | Journal of Applied Ecology WEST ET al.

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“…The ability of animals to retain behaviours acquired during predator-awareness training ( i.e ., via conditioning) have been studied in a variety of animals ( McLean, Lundie-Jenkins & Jarman, 1996 ; Griffin, Blumstein & Evans, 2000 ; Rowell, Magrath & Magrath, 2020 ). Depending on the training regime and the species in question, anti-predator behaviours acquired during such training/conditioning have been shown to persist for up to several months, even in the absence of subsequent reinforcements ( Chivers & Smith, 1994 ; De Azevedo & Young, 2006 ). Hence, our results suggest that hamsters have the capacity to retain some modifications of their behavioural response for at least 1 month, even in the absence of reinforcements ( i.e ., a further pre-release confinement in the field enclosure), while others might be more susceptible to reversal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the success of reinforcement programs: effects of a two-week confinement in a field enclosure on the anti-predator behaviour of captive-bred European hamsters

Fleitz,

Enstipp,

Parent

et al. 2023

PeerJ

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Captive breeding programs are an important pillar in biodiversity conservation, aiming to prevent the extinction of threatened species. However, the establishment of self-sustaining populations in the wild through the release of captive-bred animals is often hampered by a high mortality upon release. In this study, we investigated how a 2-week confinement period within a large field enclosure affected the anti-predator behaviour of ‘naive’ captive-bred hamsters and how potential modifications persisted over time. During three consecutive tests, hamsters were confronted with a moving predator model (a red fox mount, Vulpes vulpes) and their behaviour was filmed. After the initial round of confrontation with the predator model, one group of hamsters (field group) was released into a field enclosure protected from predators, while the other group (control) remained in their individual laboratory cages. After 2 weeks, hamsters from the field group were recaptured and individuals of both groups underwent a second confrontation test. A total of 1 month after their return from the field enclosure, field hamsters were subjected to a last confrontation test. Video analysis, investigating four behavioural variables, revealed that field hamsters significantly modified their behavioural response following the 2 weeks confinement in the enclosure, while this was not the case for control hamsters. In addition, most behavioural modifications in field hamsters persisted over 1 month, while others started to revert. We suggest that an appropriate pre-release period inside a field enclosure will enable naive (captive-bred) hamsters to develop an adequate anti-predator behaviour that will increase their immediate survival probability upon release into the wild. We believe that such measure will be of great importance for hamster conservation programs.

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Do captive-born greater rheas Rhea americana Linnaeus (Rheiformes, Rheidae) remember antipredator training?

Cited by 19 publications

References 20 publications

The rhea, a ratite native to South America

The rhea, a ratite native to South America

Predator exposure improves anti‐predator responses in a threatened mammal

Improving the success of reinforcement programs: effects of a two-week confinement in a field enclosure on the anti-predator behaviour of captive-bred European hamsters

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