Know Thy Enemy: Experience Affects Elk Translocation Success in Risky Landscapes

ABSTRACT To maximize success, reintroduction programs generally select predator‐free release areas having high habitat quality. Past studies provide little insight into recovery efforts where multiple, potentially novel, mortality hazards occur. The ability of translocated animals to cope with novel...

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Published in:The Journal of Wildlife Management
Main Authors: FRAIR, JACQUELINE L., MERRILL, EVELYN H., ALLEN, JAMES R., BOYCE, MARK S.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.2193/2006-141
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.2193%2F2006-141
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spelling crwiley:10.2193/2006-141 2024-06-23T07:52:00+00:00 Know Thy Enemy: Experience Affects Elk Translocation Success in Risky Landscapes FRAIR, JACQUELINE L. MERRILL, EVELYN H. ALLEN, JAMES R. BOYCE, MARK S. 2007 http://dx.doi.org/10.2193/2006-141 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.2193%2F2006-141 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor The Journal of Wildlife Management volume 71, issue 2, page 541-554 ISSN 0022-541X 1937-2817 journal-article 2007 crwiley https://doi.org/10.2193/2006-141 2024-06-11T04:43:52Z ABSTRACT To maximize success, reintroduction programs generally select predator‐free release areas having high habitat quality. Past studies provide little insight into recovery efforts where multiple, potentially novel, mortality hazards occur. The ability of translocated animals to cope with novel environments can be affected by both pre‐ and postrelease experiences with habitat and mortality risks. We experimentally released elk (Cervus elaphus) having different background experiences into an area where predators and hunters were prevalent and habitat quality varied. Using a competing risks approach, we predicted the postrelease survival of individuals and their fidelity to release areas as a function of animal source and postrelease encounters with forage resources and areas used by wolves (Canis lupus) or humans. Mortality patterns were consistent with prerelease exposure to mortality risks but not habitat differences among source areas. Wolf predation, poaching, and legal Native hunting were equivalent in magnitude and accounted for the majority of elk mortalities. Familiarity with either wolves or hunters prior to release yielded first‐year survival rates 1.9‐2.2 times greater than observed for animals naive to both risks. These 2 primary sources of mortality traded off temporally as well as spatially given the proximity of roads, which wolves avoided. The prevalence of forage resources in release areas increased fidelity to release sites but coincided with higher mortality risk during the critical first year, potentially setting an ecological trap for animals naïve to local risks. Translocated individuals largely mediated their respective vulnerabilities over time, showing second‐year survival rates equivalent to resident elk. In addition to using source populations that are able to adjust to mortality risks in release areas, spatial and temporal variation in mortality risks might be exploited when planning releases to increase the success of translocations into risky landscapes. (JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus Wiley Online Library The Journal of Wildlife Management 71 2 541 554
institution Open Polar
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language English
description ABSTRACT To maximize success, reintroduction programs generally select predator‐free release areas having high habitat quality. Past studies provide little insight into recovery efforts where multiple, potentially novel, mortality hazards occur. The ability of translocated animals to cope with novel environments can be affected by both pre‐ and postrelease experiences with habitat and mortality risks. We experimentally released elk (Cervus elaphus) having different background experiences into an area where predators and hunters were prevalent and habitat quality varied. Using a competing risks approach, we predicted the postrelease survival of individuals and their fidelity to release areas as a function of animal source and postrelease encounters with forage resources and areas used by wolves (Canis lupus) or humans. Mortality patterns were consistent with prerelease exposure to mortality risks but not habitat differences among source areas. Wolf predation, poaching, and legal Native hunting were equivalent in magnitude and accounted for the majority of elk mortalities. Familiarity with either wolves or hunters prior to release yielded first‐year survival rates 1.9‐2.2 times greater than observed for animals naive to both risks. These 2 primary sources of mortality traded off temporally as well as spatially given the proximity of roads, which wolves avoided. The prevalence of forage resources in release areas increased fidelity to release sites but coincided with higher mortality risk during the critical first year, potentially setting an ecological trap for animals naïve to local risks. Translocated individuals largely mediated their respective vulnerabilities over time, showing second‐year survival rates equivalent to resident elk. In addition to using source populations that are able to adjust to mortality risks in release areas, spatial and temporal variation in mortality risks might be exploited when planning releases to increase the success of translocations into risky landscapes. (JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE ...
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author FRAIR, JACQUELINE L.
MERRILL, EVELYN H.
ALLEN, JAMES R.
BOYCE, MARK S.
spellingShingle FRAIR, JACQUELINE L.
MERRILL, EVELYN H.
ALLEN, JAMES R.
BOYCE, MARK S.
Know Thy Enemy: Experience Affects Elk Translocation Success in Risky Landscapes
author_facet FRAIR, JACQUELINE L.
MERRILL, EVELYN H.
ALLEN, JAMES R.
BOYCE, MARK S.
author_sort FRAIR, JACQUELINE L.
title Know Thy Enemy: Experience Affects Elk Translocation Success in Risky Landscapes
title_short Know Thy Enemy: Experience Affects Elk Translocation Success in Risky Landscapes
title_full Know Thy Enemy: Experience Affects Elk Translocation Success in Risky Landscapes
title_fullStr Know Thy Enemy: Experience Affects Elk Translocation Success in Risky Landscapes
title_full_unstemmed Know Thy Enemy: Experience Affects Elk Translocation Success in Risky Landscapes
title_sort know thy enemy: experience affects elk translocation success in risky landscapes
publisher Wiley
publishDate 2007
url http://dx.doi.org/10.2193/2006-141
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.2193%2F2006-141
genre Canis lupus
genre_facet Canis lupus
op_source The Journal of Wildlife Management
volume 71, issue 2, page 541-554
ISSN 0022-541X 1937-2817
op_rights http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor
op_doi https://doi.org/10.2193/2006-141
container_title The Journal of Wildlife Management
container_volume 71
container_issue 2
container_start_page 541
op_container_end_page 554
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