Reintroduction programs involve raising animals in a captive setting and then releasing them into suitable wild habitats. Personality traits have been linked with survivorship in reintroduced animals; however, much of this research has focused on mammalian species. Better understanding the factors that impact survival in herpetological reintroduction programs could improve their success and contribute to the conservation of these ecologically important, but often underappreciated species. The Detroit Zoological Society collaborated with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to raise Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) hatched at the Zoo and release them into a wetland habitat in the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge. This process, known as headstarting, is meant to allow individual animals to grow to a certain age or physical size in order to increase chances of survival. We measured personality traits in 24 turtles headstarted at the Zoo prior to their release. We then worked with investigators at the University of Michigan – Flint to monitor the turtles post-release and investigate links between dispersal, survival, personality and habitat type. We found that more exploratory turtles had higher survival rates, and that use of muskrat dens, the water surface and other habitat features differed by personality type. Knowing how different personality types are likely to respond after release can help conservationists set animals up for success by releasing them in areas that suit their behavioral needs.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02324