Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Email: ellen. Wildlife translocation is an important, but costly and challenging, conservation tool. Understanding how long it takes wildlife to acclimate to new landscapes improves post-release management. We used fecal glucocorticoid metabolites to document a relatively brief physiological acclimation period in elk following translocation. We propose applications to species-specific translocation planning.
Conservation translocationsโthe intentional movement of animals to restore populationsโhave increased over the past 30 years to halt and reverse species declines and losses. However, there are many challenges translocated animals face that should be considered for restoration programs to be successful.
Understanding how long it takes for translocated animals to acclimate to these challenges and their new landscape is a critical component of post-release population management.
Physiological measures such as hormone responses are increasingly used to assess animal responses and acclimation to disturbances including translocation. We determined the physiological acclimation period of elk Cervus canadensis translocated to the Missouri Ozarks, USA, as part of a restoration effort.
From to , we translocated GPS-radio-collared elk from Kentucky, USA, to Missouri, USA, and collected faecal samples for glucocorticoid metabolite extraction to use as an indicator of physiological acclimation. We modelled the response of population-wide faecal glucocorticoid metabolites fGCMs across the initial 9 years of the restoration in response to days following release and additional site-specific covariates. Presence of white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus hunts and monthly precipitation levels were positively and negatively associated with fGCM levels, respectively.
