Methods for estimating population densities of unmarked species using camera traps are still under development. One such method is called ‘random encounter model (REM)’ and, to our knowledge, has never been used to estimate densities of mountain-dwelling ungulates. In this study, we tested the REM method to estimate the density of Balkan chamois (Rupicapra r. balcanica) in a Mediterranean habitat,

Interventions to manage disease in wild animals are challenging, being characterised by sparse information on the distribution of infection and a limited ability to target infected individuals. In parts of Europe, the persistence of bovine tuberculosis (bTB caused by Mycobacterium bovis) in cattle is linked to reservoirs of infection in wild populations of European badgers (Meles meles). In this study

Estimating population size in space and time is essential for applied ecology and wildlife management purposes; however, making accurate and precise estimates at large scales is highly challenging. An example is the European badger (Meles meles), a widespread and abundant mammal in Ireland. Due to their role in the epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis, the species has been culled in agriculturally dominant

Predator behaviour and population numbers can be determined by many factors such as prey availability, individual and habitat characteristics, and intraspecific or interspecific factors. Using satellite telemetry, we measured home range size in 3 individuals of Red Kites (Milvus milvus) in three consecutive winters to document the pattern of spatial responses to increasing availability of its dominant

The information on animal weight is often an essential component of wildlife management and research. However, it may be difficult to obtain direct scale weights from the free-ranging large animals when equipment needed to weigh the animals are inadequate or unavailable. In these cases, body weight can be estimated by morphometric equation. We investigated body mass and size (16 body parts) of reintroduced

As wolves in Europe are expanding in range, their impact on economic activities through predation on livestock is increasing. In this context, the effectiveness of damage compensation programs is being debated and requires adequate assessment. With this aim, we performed a survey of wolf depredation on livestock in Italy during the years 2010 − 2014, comparing regions of historical and more recent

Behavioral adjustments are of critical importance for the survival of animals when exposed to risk and resource variations in their environment. Moving to safer habitats allows prey to reduce the risk of mortality triggered by predation. This response has been well studied at the population level to assist in identifying key habitat components for wildlife conservation. However, while individuals may

Collisions between wildlife and aircraft are a serious and growing threat to aviation safety. Understanding the frequency of these collisions, the identity of species involved, and the potential damage that can be inflicted on to aircraft aid mitigation efforts by airfield managers. A record of all animal carcasses recovered from Dublin International Airport, Ireland’s largest civil aviation airport

Damage associated with rodent’s outbreaks is common in the actual intensive agriculture. In order to reduce these economic losses, the placement of nest boxes for raptors could be a useful alternative to the chemical control programs. Barn owl (Tyto alba) and common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) are two of the most commonly used species as rodent biological controls. The increase of the density of these

More than half of the European population of the Barbary Partridge is in Sardinia; nonetheless, the researches concerning this species are very scarce, and its conservation status is not defined because of a deficiency of data. This research aimed to analyse the habitat selection and the factors affecting the abundance and the density of the Barbary Partridge in Sardinia. We used the data collected

Drastic seasonal changes in higher latitudes and altitudes impact the phenology of plant growth forms differently and thus diet of ungulates feeding on them. We examined how fecal nitrogen (N), an indicator of diet quality, varied with season against the background variation in forage biomass and N in habitats of two sympatric ungulates in subtropical Himalaya. We conducted this study in Kyongnosla

Life history theory provides a basis for understanding how amphibians persist within landscapes fragmented by urbanisation. To quantify the life history traits of a population susceptible to habitat disturbance, we implemented a capture-recapture study of an isolated population of the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) within an urbanised catchment of Budapest, Hungary. We estimated life history

Sexual differences in foraging behaviour of African elephant are comparatively well studied. However, the behaviour is known to vary between savannas due to differences in plant and herbivory communities which determine the level of forage selection and competitions. The sexual variation in foraging behaviour is attributed by sexual dimorphism, where male elephants are larger than females. The different

Anthropogenic sounds are pollution that is not always evaluated in the environment in general and near wildlife in particular. Non-electric off-road vehicles (ORVs) are used in most wildlife reserves of India for ecotourism purposes in the form of wildlife-viewing safaris. We hypothesized that the e-vehicles would allow a closer approach to wildlife, reducing the flight-initiation distance (FID) to

Raptors are often the cause of human-wildlife conflict because they may predate economically valuable species, and it is the perceived extent of predation that may augment conflict between raptors and people who keep and race pigeons. This study uses data obtained through questionnaires and an online raptor-attack reporting feature to investigate the frequency of racing pigeon losses and the perceptions

Large numbers of gamebirds (pheasants Phasianus colchicus, red-legged partridges Alectoris rufa and mallard Anus platyrhynchos) are released annually in the UK to support recreational shooting. It is important to know how many of these birds are being released because their release and management has ecological effects on the wildlife and habitats of the UK. There is little regulation governing their

Diseases are natural regulating factors of wildlife populations, but some pathogens may become an important threat in wildlife conservation, especially for endangered species. The presence of domestic animals may foster the spread of diseases in natural population, although their role in the dynamic of infections in wildlife is not clear. In this study, we investigated the presence and prevalence of

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), the largest representative of the xenarthrans, is listed as Vulnerable-IUCN. Their unique anatomy and physiological characteristics, such as relatively low basal metabolic rates, make xenarthrans challenging to anesthetize and equip with tracking devices. This study evaluates and describes physical capture and chemical immobilization protocols for field

Urbanization constitutes one of the major transformations of natural habitats, creating new areas characterized by multiple potential wildlife stressors. Birds that live in highly anthropized zones are confronted with physiological and behavioural challenges caused by these stressors. Here, we investigated if several health parameters differed between three subpopulations of tree sparrow nestlings

Understanding factors and mechanisms causing large carnivore aggression towards people is crucial for their conservation in modern human-dominated landscapes. We present detailed descriptions of wolf attacks on people in early summer 2018 in two areas of Poland, analysis of behaviour, fitness and origin of individuals responsible for the attacks and management actions undertaken by local communities

Reduction of floristic diversity may trigger local competition between native wildlife, particularly ungulates, and livestock. In this study, we analysed spatial and temporal niche partitioning between the vulnerable, endemic Italian roe deer Capreolus capreolus italicus and free-ranging cattle livestock (cattle) in the Gargano National Park in Southern Italy. We carried out an intensive camera-trapping

The white-crowned Pigeon (WCPi), Patagioenas leucocephala, and the scaly-naped Pigeon (SNPi), P squamosa, are two Caribbean endemic species of patrimonial and cynegetic interest. Although both species are under the threat of habitat destruction and hunting pressure, population trends remain undocumented in a large part of their geographical range. Here, we used both the “auditory and visual” and “call-broadcast”

Introduced alien species can negatively affect native competitors by reducing their populations or eliminating them from ecosystems. However, studies do not always find evidence for anticipated impacts, and changes in native populations can be difficult to estimate. Interactions between the invasive American mink Neovison vison and native European polecat Mustela putorius have been studied in several

A dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima stranded alive along the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The whale, handled by tourists and local inhabitants, was weak, had buoyancy difficulties, and eventually aborted and died, showing severe necrotizing placentitis and other pathological signs. Both the mother and the fetus had antibodies against Brucella lipopolysaccharide. Brucella organisms were isolated

Ungulate conservation directly affects conservation of their predators and habitats. Assessing conservation status of ungulates found in the mountains is particularly challenging given the tough terrain and extreme weather. This is true for Central and South Asia’s mountains which harbour high ungulate diversity. Urial Ovis vignei, a Vulnerable wild sheep, occurs patchily across Asian mountains. Ladakh

The Swedish wolf population has rebounded from near extinction in the 1960s to around 365 individuals in 2020, after the implementation of the Hunting Act (jaktlagen) in 1966. This recent increase in the wolf population has evoked a serious divide between “pro-wolf” and “anti-wolf” Swedish citizens. Despite the continuous efforts by the Swedish government to reconcile this antagonism, the conflicts

Where introduced, the European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus is considered among the most destructive and invasive species. To date, research focused mostly on populations of wild rabbit, whereas little is known on feral domestic rabbit populations. In this work, we reported the establishment of two self-sustaining populations of feral rabbits in Italy. Direct observations were conducted to assess rabbit

By 1995, Ireland’s wild grey partridge (Perdix perdix) was extinct nationally as a breeding species on farmland. The two populations remaining were confined to Ireland’s industrial cutaway peat bogs. One of these populations was deemed viable. In 1996, the National Parks and Wildlife Service of Ireland and the Irish Grey Partridge Conservation Trust established a conservation project to prevent the

The One Health approach is not only focused on diseases and zoonosis control but also on antimicrobial resistance. As concern this important issue, the problem of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance recently emerged. Few studies reported data about colistin resistance and mcr genes in bacteria from wildlife. In this manuscript, 168 Escherichia coli isolated from hunted wild boar were tested; colistin

From April to June 2020, during a period of increased mortality of tits (Cyanistes caeruleus, Parus major, Periparus ater) in Germany, 84 tits were pathomorphologically and microbiologically investigated in governmental veterinary investigation offices in North Rhine-Westphalia using a broad diagnostic panel. Although Suttonella ornithocola was the most frequently detected bacterium (36/84), other

Recently, the survival of Mycobacterium bovis on livestock mineral blocks has been confirmed, but little is known about its implication in the transmission of animal tuberculosis (TB) under field conditions. The objective of this study was to describe the shared use of mineral supplements in four extensive beef cattle farms from a high TB prevalence area in South Central Spain, to identify the main

Cuvier’s gazelle (Gazella cuvieri) was reintroduced in Tergou reserve (TR) in 2018–2019 to help restore its population at the Moroccan Central Plateau. A study on browsing trees and shrubs was conducted in this reserve to identify (i) the seasonal pattern of this activity and (ii) the most solicited tree and shrub species. Here, we used six random 500-m transects to collect, each month and at each

Dispersal from one population to another is crucial for meta-population stability and survival. Long-distance dispersal events have been widely documented in male tigers (Panthera tigris), but similar events in female tigers are less known. We opportunistically recorded a long-distance dispersal event that ended with the establishment of a new home-range for a radio-collared sub-adult female tiger

Human-wildlife problems often arise when predators kill livestock. This can develop into serious conflicts between traditional pastoralists and other stakeholders, such as government officials and conservationists. In the Yamal Peninsula (Russia), nearly half of the indigenous Nenets people are reindeer herders. They have recently faced many challenges, such as high mortality of reindeer from pasture

Human expansion can cause disturbance and intrusion of invasive species, which are detrimental to small carnivores. We investigated how European wildcats responded to disturbance from mushroom collectors, cattle and feral pigs in Sicily, Italy. We used detections from 76 cameras over 2 surveys (2015–2016 and 2018; camera days = 1985) to run occupancy and co-occurrence models and estimate overlap in

Wing surveys are an important tool for understanding harvest and can provide information on productivity and survival which can complement traditional methods (such as ringing). However, storing and collecting wings at a national level is challenging and costly and limits hunter participation in such schemes. Digital photographs of wings offer an alternative method of capturing this data from hunting

Wetlands such as the World Heritage Site in the Wadden Sea include important habitats for breeding waterbirds. Its saltmarshes and adjacent conservation polders are used by thousands of breeding birds. However, some alarming population declines have been recorded during recent decades and previous studies found indications that predation pressure from red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and more recently from

Baseline data on intrinsic–extrinsic determinants of spatial distribution of flagship species helps wildlife managers develop their management strategies. Globally, large herbivores are in range contraction due to the expansion of human habitation. Of late, alien invasion is raising management concerns due to its detrimental effect on native biota. This study evaluating the determinants of spatial

This study evaluated the trend and spatial distribution of wild boar population harvested in the Alpine hunting district C.A. CN1 (Piedmont, Italy) from 1996 to 2018, and its relation with hunting effort. Protected areas were found to shape the distribution of the harvested wild boars, which decreased in number as the distance from those zones increased. The hunting bag data presented large yearly

Reproducing conspecific vocalization has been widely used to detect owls in the field due to the nocturnal habits and cryptic nature of most of them. Surveying and monitoring owl populations using playback and other methods are important given the key roles these birds play in the environment and the ecosystem services they provide, especially Neotropical owls that are still poorly understood. We described

Biological invasions are widely recognised as a significant threat to biodiversity, a driver of global change and a relevant economic problem. Actions to control or eradicate invasive alien species (IAS) can cause great controversy, especially when targeted species are charismatic. Thus, better understanding people’s perceptions of invasive species is key for ensuring more effective IAS management

Dispersal is a key process affecting the dynamic and genetic structure of populations. To increase our knowledge on first-year dispersal in the white-tailed eagle (WTE), 35 nestlings in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria were equipped with GPS/GSM loggers while on the nest between 2016 and 2019. Twenty-nine individuals surviving until March 31 were used to assess post-fledging areas, first-year

The relevance of wild hosts in the maintenance and transmission of animal tuberculosis may increase as the prevalence in livestock decreases. However, studies on wild mammals in low bovine tuberculosis prevalence scenarios are scarce. The Basque Country is an understudied region from the Atlantic Iberian Peninsula with low bovine tuberculosis prevalence. In this 10-year survey, we searched for Mycobacterium

Human-predator conflicts are frequently caused by livestock and/or game depredation. The golden jackal’s (Canis aureus) range expansion in Europe, as well as the recent re-expansion of several gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations, might increase risk of such conflicts. In Austria, golden jackal presence has been increasing since the 1990s including reports of wildlife and livestock kills, frequently

Thousands of marine animals are injured and killed each year across Europe. Wildlife rehabilitation centres play an important role to rehabilitate sick and injured animals and return them to the wild. This study aims to assess seabird rehabilitation outcomes and causes of mortality of stranded seabirds in the central Portuguese coast. During a 7-year period (2010–2016) a total of 2042 admissions were

A great number of farmland wildlife species has shown a sharp population decline in European countries, mainly caused by changes in agricultural practices leading to habitat alterations. Within this scenario, the identification of agricultural practices providing economic benefits to farmers and, at the same time, favoring higher biodiversity levels is a key challenge. This is especially interesting

Habitat use studies provide invaluable information for the conservation of species that suffer from habitat loss or degradation. We used satellite telemetry to study the habitat use of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in relation to six habitat classes (artificial surfaces, agricultural areas, forests, semi-natural areas, wetlands and waterbodies) and five forest age classes (0–9, 10–19,

Ethnoornithology is a multidisciplinary field of study that focuses on human-bird relationships and humans’ knowledge of the Earth’s avifauna. Falconry (the use of trained birds of prey—usually eagles, falcons, and hawks—to hunt wild animals) is one type of human-bird relationship, with its origins obscured in poorly understood prehistoric times. We hypothesized that falconry would have been memorable

Wild ungulates seek out food resources at the bottom of mountain valleys in winter and spring, where their high density can negatively impact the production of hay meadows. This study determines the factors that explain the meadow use of four sympatric species: red-, roe-, and fallow-deer, and wild boar. In 2017, we counted the individuals of each species in 94 meadows for eight nights, between March

Invasive non-native (alien) species (INNS) are one of the greatest environmental threats globally and they pose a serious and growing risk to our environment, economy and, for some species, human health. Humans have been moving species around for millennia but this movement has been increasing steadily since the start of the industrial revolution and this growth continues—fuelled by increasing trade

Reeves’ muntjac, either deliberately released or escaped from collections, was present in a few areas of southern England in low numbers by the 1960s and was generally regarded as a benign introduction. As their numbers and distribution increased their impact on amenity woodland, forest plantations, ground flora and their potential competition with native herbivores became apparent. Their reproductive

The appropriate response for controlling an invasive non-native species depends on the extent to which its invasion has progressed, which can be revealed by information on its distribution and abundance. Reeves’ muntjac is a native deer to China and Taiwan, but has been introduced and become well-established in Great Britain. Moreover, in recent years, reports and verified records in the wild from

Populations of Reeves’ muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) have become well established in central, southern and eastern England as a result of introduction and colonisation. Although it is widely acknowledged as a species capable of damaging conservation woodland, information on its impacts has often been difficult to unravel because of the presence of other species of deer. In the county of Cambridgeshire

Reproductive variables constitute a key information to assess population dynamics and inform wildlife management. We estimated wolf (Canis lupus) litter size and reproductive phenology in Spain between 1987 and 2015 based on foetus or placental scar counts on 75 females. Three out of twenty-five subadults (12%) and 32 out of 41 adults (78%) were classified as reproductive females. The mean litter size

Recent studies have shown that an increase in the population size of sika deer (Cervus nippon) decreases the abundance of rodents but increases that of several invertebrates (Scarabaeidae, Rhaphidophoridae, and earthworms) outside a deep-proof fence in Oku-Nikko, Japan. Therefore, the diet of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) feeding on these animals is expected to vary according to changes in prey abundance

Nineteen red deer areas in a densely populated region with a huge network of fenced motorways and the division into administrative management units (AMUs) with restricted ecological connectivity were investigated. In the season 2018/2019, a total of 1291 red deer samples (on average 68 per area) were collected and genotyped using 16 microsatellite markers. The results show a clear genetic differentiation

The public is occasionally concerned about the detrimental impact of wildlife research activities, particularly capture procedures such as the use of chemical immobilization. One of the risks inherent with chemical immobilization is aggression (or predation) to immobilized animals by conspecifics; yet, data on such occurrences are rarely reported in the literature. We chemically immobilized 25 dominant

Some deer species are of conservation concern; others are officially managed as a food source or for their trophies, whereas in many regions, deer are regarded as overabundant or even as a nuisance causing damages. Regardless of local management issues, in most cases, reliable data on deer population sizes and sex ratios are lacking. Non-invasive genetic approaches are promising tools for the estimation

Anthropogenic land-use change, such as commercial afforestation, is a significant driver of shifts in ecological communities and species abundance. In this study, the consequences of afforestation of upland habitats for two distinct animal groups, birds and small mammals, were examined by comparing open moorland, early pre-thicket conifer forests (2–4 years post-replanting) and late pre-thicket conifer