Maximizing re-introduction success: Assessing the immediate cost of release in a threatened waterfowl

Tavecchia, Giacomo; Viedma, Covadonga; Martínez‐Abraín, Alejandro; Bartolomé, Miguel Angel; Gómez, José Jorge Aranda; Oro, Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.07.035

Cited by 82 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…In the Barn owl Tyto alba, starvation is the second most important cause of death in released captive-reared animals after collision with vehicles (Fajardo et al 2000). As a consequence of generally low survival rates in nature, a larger number of individuals has to be released to achieve conservation or management goals, which has been referred to as "cost of release" (Tavecchia et al 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low survival after release into the wild: assessing “the burden of captivity” on Mallard physiology and behaviour

Guillemain

Elmberg

et al. 2011

Eur J Wildl Res

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Captive-reared animals used in reinforcement programs are generally less likely to survive than wild conspecifics. Digestion efficiency and naive behaviour are two likely reasons for this pattern. The Mallard is a species with high adaptability to its environment and in which massive reinforcement programs are carried out. We studied physiological and behavioural factors potentially affecting body condition and survival of captive-reared Mallards after being released. Digestive system morphology and an index of body condition were compared among three groups: captive-reared birds remaining in a farm (control), captive-reared birds released into the wild as juveniles (released) and wild-born birds (wild). We also compared behaviour and diet of released vs. wild Mallards. Finally, we conducted a 1-year survival analysis of captive-reared birds after release in a hunting-free area. Gizzard weight was lower in control Mallards, but the size of other organs did not differ between controls and wild birds. The difference in gizzard weight between released and wild birds disappeared after some time in the wild. Diet analyses suggest that released Mallards show a greater preference than wild for anthropogenic food (waste grain, bait). Despite similar time-budgets, released Mallards never attained the body condition of wild birds. As a consequence, survival probability in released Mallards was low, especially when food provisioning was stopped and during harsh winter periods. We argue that the low survival of released Mallards likely has a physiological rather than a behavioural (foraging) origin. In any case, extremely few released birds live long enough to potentially enter the breeding population, even without hunting. In the context of massive releases presently carried out for hunting purposes, our study indicates a low likelihood for genetic introgression by captive-reared birds into the wild population.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low survival after release into the wild: assessing “the burden of captivity” on Mallard physiology and behaviour

Guillemain

Elmberg

et al. 2011

Eur J Wildl Res

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“…Nonetheless, the risk of introgression of maladaptive/deleterious allele in the wild is often low as fitness of such released animals is expected to be low and their contribution to the effective population is likely to be insignificant (Araki et al 2007;Casas et al 2012;Ford 2002;Puigcerver et al 2014;Sanchez-Donoso et al 2014). Despite globally encouraging results, the "cost of release" (Tavecchia et al 2009) might remain important especially under harsh environmental conditions , and most of mortality events occur in the 15 days after the release (ECWP unpublished data). Poor food resource availability and climate may exacerbate possible weakness of CBH triggered by some diet or digestive disorders occurring immediately post-release.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Successful translocations are rare, especially in the case of captive-bred animals (see Armstrong and Reynolds 2012;Tavecchia et al 2009). If the quality of the habitat in the release area is pointed out as one of the main factors driving the outcome of the release (Monnet et al 2014;Osborne and Seddon 2012;White et al 2012), its success also greatly relies on individual condition and behaviour.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Diet of released captive-bred North-African houbara bustards

Bourass

Hingrat

2015

Eur J Wildl Res

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In translocation of captive-bred animals, mortality is often significant and impedes the successful establishment of a new population. Among the numerous reasons of failure, the first requirement of a newly released individual is to keep a positive energy balance by feeding properly. Individuals may exhibit diet disorders related to stress or may have developed behavioural, physiological and anatomic capacities adapted to captive conditions, but maladaptive once in the wild. We studied the diet of wild (n=42) and captive-bred (n=32) NorthAfrican houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata undulata) released in eastern Morocco. For this, we compared proportions and taxonomic compositions of plant and animal fractions from stomach contents. We showed that the diet of captivebred houbara is similar to wild individuals. The ability of captive-bred birds to shift from captive to a natural diet is probably facilitated by an innate omnivorous and opportunistic feeding behaviour and a likely learning period in contact with wild conspecifics.

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“…Assisted migration via translocation generally involves transplanting individuals beyond their existing or former range or to a contiguous environment where barriers to dispersal have occurred through habitat fragmentation or to an adjacent poleward environment with lower temperatures (Chapron et al, 2008;Mueller and Hellmann, 2008;Carroll et al, 2009). Assisted migration, or translocation, has been one of the most commonly used tools for biodiversity restoration worldwide (Tavecchia et al, 2009), although in terrestrial systems, it has frequently occurred without a clear framework (Hoegh-Guldberg et al, 2008), leading to negative impacts (Davidson and Simkanin, 2008). In fisheries, following the framework for responsible stock enhancement (Lorenzen et al, 2010), assisted migration and translocation also offer a OVERLAP OF HOME RANGES AFTER TRANSLOCATION 259 tool for augmenting and increasing supply or reducing cost of production of harvested species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overlap of Home Ranges of Resident and Introduced Southern Rock Lobster after Translocation

Green

Pederson

Gardner

2013

Reviews in Fisheries Science

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Maximizing re-introduction success: Assessing the immediate cost of release in a threatened waterfowl

Cited by 82 publications

References 33 publications

Low survival after release into the wild: assessing “the burden of captivity” on Mallard physiology and behaviour

Low survival after release into the wild: assessing “the burden of captivity” on Mallard physiology and behaviour

Diet of released captive-bred North-African houbara bustards

Overlap of Home Ranges of Resident and Introduced Southern Rock Lobster after Translocation

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