Despite strong support from the media, the reintroduction of animals into natural environments does not always achieve its goal. Alouatta caraya is the primate species facing the greatest hunting pressure due to the illegal pet trade in Argentina. Confiscations of this species are common, as is the voluntary surrender of animals by owners no longer able or willing to care for them. These animals ultimately arrive at rehabilitation centers and, in many cases, are released into natural environments that may differ from the original sites where they were captured. Until recently, the lack of genetic analysis of the individuals involved led to biased relocation decisions. We followed the reintroduction of 12 A. caraya individuals in a protected area (Isla Palacio, Misiones, Argentina). The presence of potential predators such as pumas (Puma concolor) and jaguars (Panthera onca) in this area was confirmed by camera traps, footprints and feces. After the disappearance of four A. caraya at the reintroduction site, we investigated the applicability of genetic assignment tests based on genotypic data to accurately identify predated individuals. Genetic analyses allowed us to determine the predator species (P. onca) and to identify the predated individuals as two of the reintroduced animals. This procedure is promising for identifying the remains of predated individuals, and can contribute to the design of reintroduction policies based on scientific evidence.

尽管得到了媒体的大力支持，但将动物重新引入自然环境并不总能实现其目标。由于阿根廷的非法宠物贸易，Alouatta caraya是面临最大狩猎压力的灵长类动物。对该物种的没收很常见，因为不再能够或不愿意照顾它们的主人自愿交出动物。这些动物最终会到达康复中心，并且在许多情况下，会被释放到可能不同于它们被捕获的原始地点的自然环境中。直到最近，由于缺乏对所涉个人的遗传分析，才导致搬迁决定存在偏差。我们遵循了 12 A. caraya的重新引入保护区内的个体（Isla Palacio，Misiones，阿根廷）。相机捕捉、脚印和粪便证实了该地区存在美洲狮 ( Puma concolor ) 和美洲虎 ( Panthera onca )等潜在捕食者。在重新引入地点的四个A. caraya消失后，我们调查了基于基因型数据的基因分配测试的适用性，以准确识别早先个体。遗传分析使我们能够确定捕食者物种（P. onca) 并将被早日灭绝的个体确定为两只重新引入的动物。该程序有望用于识别过世个体的遗骸，并可有助于基于科学证据的重新引入政策的设计。