Using GPS Technology to Understand Spatial and Temporal Activity of Kangaroos in a Peri-Urban Environment

Abstract

Simple SummaryKangaroo–human conflict is increasing in the peri-urban communities of the New South Wales (NSW) north coast in Australia. A way to assist in managing this conflict is to improve our understanding on the ecology of kangaroos in the peri-urban environment. We utilized modern Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to track adult male kangaroo movements in a peri-urban housing estate at Coffs Harbour, Australia, using both collars and temporary glue-on devices. We also assessed the effectiveness of the glue-on devices, which do not require animal recapture for device retrieval. Kangaroos remained predominately within the residential area and moved over short distances with small movement speeds. Movement activity peaked from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., coinciding with daily residential activities such as driving to work, putting children on the school bus, hanging out the washing, and putting bins on the street. In addition, the temporary glue-on devices were effective in gaining information on spatial and temporal activity on a day-by-day basis, despite having short deployment lengths. AbstractThe increasing kangaroo occurrence in expanding peri-urban areas can be problematic when kangaroos become aggressive towards people and present a collision risk to motor vehicles. An improved understanding on kangaroo spatial and temporal activity patterns in the peri-urban environment is essential to manage kangaroo–human conflict. In this study, we used GPS telemetry to determine activity patterns of male Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in a peri-urban community on the north-coast of New South Wales, Australia. Two types of GPS devices were employed; collars and cheaper alternative glue-on units. Kangaroos moved on average 2.39 km a day, with an average movement rate of 1.89 m/min, which was greatest at dawn. The GPS glue-on devices had short deployment lengths of one to 12 days. Despite limitations in attachment time, the glue-on devices were viable in obtaining daily spatial and temporal activity data. Our results aid towards alleviating conflict with kangaroos by providing new insights into kangaroo movements and activity within a peri-urban environment and introduces a potential cheap GPS alternative for obtaining this data relative to more expensive collars.

Post-Release Monitoring of Western Grey Kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) Relocated from an Urban Development Site

“…Diel activity showed surviving kangaroos to be bimodal, moving greater distances between fixes in the morning periods than the afternoon or evening. This timing is similar to those found for eastern grey kangaroos by Henderson et al [ 14 ]. Seasonal shifts in these patterns were evident with activity occurring earlier in summer than for other seasons and extending further into daylight hours during winter.…”

“…Due to the low survival rate of collared kangaroos, the value of GPS telemetry for monitoring movement patterns, and hence assessing adaptation to a new environment, was not fully realised during this study. Other studies using this technology have reported on the benefits it provides, particularly for tracking long-distance movements [ 14 , 61 ]. If the primary aim is to determine survival rates only, VHF collars are likely to be a more cost-effective option.…”

“…The large size of kangaroos relative to most other mammals in urban/peri-urban environments, and the risk they pose due to vehicle collision, has led to public pressure to manage these populations appropriately [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Human–wildlife conflict is potentially greater for those larger urban mammals, and any management action is unlikely to go unnoticed [ 17 ].…”

Not all urban landscapes are the same: interactions between urban land use and stress in a large herbivorous mammal

“…, Henderson et al. ), similar to that for kangaroos in most non‐urban settings (Jaremovic and Croft , , Moore et al. ).…”

“…Indeed, a meta-analysis of physiological responses of birds and mammals to habitat disturbance revealed consistent changes in stress hormones in response to habitat degradation (Messina et al 2018). An urban eastern grey kangaroo's home range is estimated at between 20 and 100 ha (Brunton et al 2018b, Henderson et al 2018, similar to that for kangaroos in most non-urban settings (Jaremovic and Croft 1987, 1991, Moore et al 2002. While it was not possible to measure the amount of continuous habitat for all study sites, at southern urban sites the average continuous habitat was approximately 140 ha, much larger than the average 40 ha of the northern urban sites.…”