Estimating body condition of Apennine brown bears using subjective scoring based on camera trap photographs

The assessment of animal body condition has important practical and management implications for endangered wildlife populations. The nutritional condition of a population can be evaluated in a non-invasive way using photogrammetry techniques, avoiding direct manipulation. This study evaluates the ut...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mammal Research
Main Authors: Lacy, Hannah, De Cuyper, Annelies, Dalerum, Fredrik, Tosoni, Elisabetta, Clauss, Marcus, Ciucci, Paolo, Meloro, Carlo
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer Heidelberg 2024
Subjects:
Veterinary Sciences
Brown bear
Central apennine
Camera traps
Biometry
Body condition score
URSUS-ARCTOS-MARSICANUS
CONDITION INDEX
CONSERVATION
POPULATION
PREDICTORS
SURVIVAL
HOKKAIDO
HABITAT
HISTORY
MODELS
Ursus arctos
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01J4VGH1DS3TD4214W2X6ZHHR8
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01J4VGH1DS3TD4214W2X6ZHHR8
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-024-00755-0
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01J4VGH1DS3TD4214W2X6ZHHR8/file/01J6CM8EBSM8G381ND7AFK5EN5
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Summary:The assessment of animal body condition has important practical and management implications for endangered wildlife populations. The nutritional condition of a population can be evaluated in a non-invasive way using photogrammetry techniques, avoiding direct manipulation. This study evaluates the utility of using body condition scoring (BCS) based on the visual assessment of subcutaneous fat and muscle from the body contour as a non-invasive method to quantify body condition in free ranging bears from camera trap photographs. Photographs of Apennine brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus), taken between 2007 and 2009 in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (PNALM, Italy), were used to evaluate the potential of this technique. BCS assessment was performed on 754 photographs representing 71 independent observations. Forty-eight of these photographs were selected to also score quantitative body ratios using a standardised measure of torso height. BCS varied seasonally, as expected by food availability and brown bear nutritional physiology, and it was also positively correlated to all three body ratios. Our findings indicate that BCS assessment is a good proxy for body condition, and that camera trap data can be effectively used to assess and monitor the nutritional condition of bear populations, such as the critically endangered one in central Italy.

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