Deconstructing compassionate conservation
Compassionate conservation focuses on 4 tenets: first, do no harm; individuals matter; inclusivity of individual animals; and peaceful coexistence between humans and animals. Recently, compassionate conservation has been promoted as an alternative to conventional conservation philosophy. We believe examples presented by compassionate conservationists are deliberately or arbitrarily chosen to focus on mammals; inherently not compassionate; […]
Behavioural response of zoo-housed Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) to changes in exhibit and social group
Moving animals to a new exhibit within a zoo is generally done with that animal’s well-being in mind. However, there are many factors that need to be considered when evaluating changes in well-being associated with environmental changes, such as the amount of time needed to habituate to the novel environment, and, for social animals, the […]
Phylogenetic relationships of ocelot (Leopardus pardalis albescens) populations from the Tamaulipan biotic province and implications for recovery
The remaining populations of ocelot (Leopardus pardalis albescens) in the United States are reduced to 2 isolated populations in southern Texas, with the next closest populations occurring in central Tamaulipas, Mexico. The species is listed as endangered, and recovery of populations in Texas eventually might require translocations from larger source populations. We sequenced the mitochondrial […]
Stress: An inevitable component of animal translocation
As the number and diversity of animal species meriting conservation intervention increases, improving the success of translocation efforts is vital and understanding the role of physiological stress in translocation failure is essential. Though the short-term acute stress response is critical for survival in the wild, chronic stress results in pathology and occurs when the physiological […]
Revisiting translocation and reintroduction programmes: the importance of considering stress
It is widely known that the adverse effects of stress must be considered in animal conservation programmes. However, a full consideration of how and where stress occurs in animal conservation programmes has not been undertaken, especially in translocation and reintroduction programmes. The literature concerning these types of programmes shows high levels of mortality, despite researchers’ […]
Corticosterone responses of hand-reared and parent-reared grey-faced petrel chicks (Pterodroma macroptera gouldi)
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20047.abs Hand-reared grey-faced petrel (Pterodroma macroptera gouldi) chicks (Order Procellariformes) that were subjected to a standardised blood sampling protocol immediately before they fledged showed a reduced corticosterone response compared to parent-raised chicks. Serum corticosterone concentrations were lower in hand-reared than parent-reared birds 30 and 60 min after handling was initiated (21.5±6.7 vs. 105.4±7.4 ng/ml […]
Suitability of Amphibians and Reptiles for Translocation
Translocations are important tools in the field of conservation. Despite increased use over the last few decades, the appropriateness of translocations for amphibians and reptiles has been debated widely over the past 20 years. To provide a comprehensive evaluation of the suitability of amphibians and reptiles for translocation, we reviewed the results of amphibian and […]
The pitfall with PIT tags: marking freshwater bivalves for translocation induces short-term behavioural costs
Tagging animals is frequently employed in ecological studies to monitor individual behaviour, for example postrelease survival and dispersal of captive-bred animals used in conservation programmes. While the majority of studies focus on the efficacy of tags in facilitating the relocation and identification of individuals, few assess the direct effects of tagging in biasing animal behaviour. […]
Modeling problems in conservation genetics using captive Drosophila populations: Improvement of reproductive fitness due to immigration of one individual into small partially inbred populations
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430110506.abs Immigration into small isolated captive and wild populations is recommended to alleviate inbreeding depression. The effects on reproductive fitness of introducing one immigrant into 10 small partially inbred captive populations of D. melanogaster were evaluated. The relative reproductive fitness of the immigrant populations (0.628) was approximately double that of the isolated populations (0.294) […]
Normalizing laboratory-reared rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) behavior with exposure to complex outdoor enclosures
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430100307.abs In comparison with standard laboratory settings, naturalistic environments typically provide nonhuman primates with increased visual, olfactory, and auditory stimulation and greater opportunities for exploration and manipulation. Although behavioral differences between monkeys reared in the laboratory and their feral counterparts are relatively well documented, less is known about the impact of transferring laboratory-born and […]