Comparing non-invasive surveying techniques for elusive, nocturnal mammals: a case study of the West European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

Bearman-Brown, Lucy; Wilson, Louise E.; Evans, Luke C.; Baker, Philip J.

doi:10.25225/jvb.20075

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…failing training) is a major problem in breeding for CDD as the dog may be unsuited to conservation work (Byosiere et al., 2019). The essential characteristics for CDD are high play and/or food drive, high hunt drive and low prey drive (Bearman‐Brown et al., 2020; Beebe et al., 2016; DeMatteo et al., 2019; Helton, 2009; Jamieson et al., 2017; Smith et al., 2003; Statham et al., 2020; Vynne et al., 2011; Wasser et al., 2004; Willcox et al., 2019). However, most assessments of these traits rely on the subjective view of whoever chooses the dog (Beebe et al., 2016).…”

Section: Factors Affecting Efficacy and Methodological Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sometimes, the number of targets found is the only measure reported due to budget constraints, being unable to verify true positives in the field (e.g. small mammals hiding or denning in inaccessible places (Thomas et al., 2020)), or simply a lack of information given within the study itself (Arandjelovic et al., 2015; Bearman‐Brown et al., 2020; Becker et al., 2017; Brook et al., 2012; Dematteo et al., 2009; Glen et al., 2016; Jean‐Marie et al., 2019; Kapfer et al., 2012; Liczner et al., 2021; Long et al., 2007; McGregor et al., 2016; Petroelje et al., 2021; Rolland et al., 2007; Thomas et al., 2020; Wasser et al., 2004, 2012). Although these results are still valuable for comparisons with other methods and establishing species presence, without any information on error rates, it cannot be determined whether the CDD is performing efficiently or if the authors are merely reporting successes and ignoring mistakes (i.e.…”

Section: Efficacy Rates Across Contextsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conservation detection dogs: A critical review of efficacy and methodology

McKeague,

Finlay,

Rooney

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Conservation detection dogs (CDD) use their exceptional olfactory abilities to assist a wide range of conservation projects through the detection of target specimens or species. CDD are generally quicker, can cover wider areas and find more samples than humans and other analytical tools. However, their efficacy varies between studies; methodological and procedural standardisation in the field is lacking. Considering the cost of deploying a CDD team and the limited financial resources within conservation, it is vital that their performance is quantified and reliable. This review aims to summarise what is currently known about the use of scent detection dogs in conservation and elucidate which factors affect efficacy. We describe the efficacy of CDD across species and situational contexts like training and fieldwork. Reported sensitivities (i.e. the proportion of target samples found out of total available) ranged from 23.8% to 100% and precision rates (i.e. proportion of alerts that are true positives) from 27% to 100%. CDD are consistently shown to be better than other techniques, but performance varies substantially across the literature. There is no consistent difference in efficacy between training, testing and fieldwork, hence we need to understand the factors affecting this. We highlight the key variables that can alter CDD performance. External effects include target odour, training methods, sample management, search methodology, environment and the CDD handler. Internal effects include dog breed, personality, diet, age and health. Unfortunately, much of the research fails to provide adequate information on the dogs, handlers, training, experience and samples. This results in an inability to determine precisely why an individual study has high or low efficacy. It is clear that CDDs can be effective and applied to possibly limitless conservation scenarios, but moving forward researchers must provide more consistent and detailed methodologies so that comparisons can be conducted, results are more easily replicated and progress can be made in standardising CDD work.

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Section: Factors Affecting Efficacy and Methodological Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Efficacy Rates Across Contextsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation detection dogs: A critical review of efficacy and methodology

McKeague,

Finlay,

Rooney

2024

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Wildlife detection dogs would offer an opportunity to locate individual amphibians during the terrestrial phase of their life, but their use currently remains rather underexplored compared to other taxonomic groups such as reptiles and mammals [26][27][28][29][30][31]. At present, projects involving detection dogs have only been conducted on a small number of amphibian species globally (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An experimental assessment of detection dog ability to locate great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) at distance and through soil

et al. 2023

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Detection dogs are increasingly used to locate cryptic wildlife species, but their use for amphibians is still rather underexplored. In the present paper we focus on the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus), a European species which is experiencing high conservation concerns across its range, and assess the ability of a trained detection dog to locate individuals during their terrestrial phase. More specifically, we used a series of experiments to document whether a range of distances between target newts and the detection dog (odour channelled through pipes 68 mm in diameter) affects the localisation, and to assess the ability and efficiency of target newt detection in simulated subterranean refugia through 200 mm of two common soil types (clay and sandy soil, both with and without air vents to mimic mammal burrows, a common refuge used by T. cristatus). The detection dog accurately located all individual T. cristatus across the entire range of tested distances (0.25 m– 2.0 m). The substrate trials revealed that the detection dog could locate individuals also through soil. Contrary to existing studies with detection dogs in human forensic contexts, however, detection was generally slower for T. cristatus under sandy soil compared to clay soil, particularly when a vent was absent. Our study provides a general baseline for the use of detection dogs in locating T. cristatus and similar amphibian species during their terrestrial phase.

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Nachhaltiger Schutz von Igelpopulationen in städtischen und ländlichen Lebensräumen

Berger

Geiger

Taucher

2023

Evidenzbasiertes Wildtiermanagement

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ZusammenfassungIgel gehören zu den beliebtesten und bekanntesten Wildtieren in Europa, allerdings existiert auch sehr viel Unwissen in der breiten Bevölkerung, nicht nur bezüglich der Lebensweise von Igeln, sondern auch bezüglich der lokalen Bestände. So sind die seit Jahrzehnten europaweit stattfindenden und gerade in ländlichen Gebieten ernst zu nehmenden Rückgänge der Igelbestände der breiten Öffentlichkeit zumeist verborgen geblieben. Ebenso wenig ist bekannt, dass ein Stoppen dieser Bestandsrückgänge – und damit der Erhalt dieser Tierart – nur durch nachhaltige Schutzmaßnahmen möglich sein wird.Generell sind die Hauptziele eines nachhaltigen Artenschutzes die Sicherung 1) der Nahrungsgrundlage und 2) der Schutzstrukturen für ihre Nester sowie 3) die Vernetzung der Lebensräume dieser Art. Nachhaltige Schutzmaßnahmen für Igelpopulationen werden entsprechend diesen drei Hauptzielen und getrennt für den ländlichen und städtischen Lebensraum aufgeführt und in einer tabellarischen Übersicht zusammengefasst (Tab. 5.1).Die effektivsten Schutzmaßnahmen in landwirtschaftlich geprägten Gegenden bestehen dabei in der Umgestaltung der industriellen zu einer ökologischen und strukturierten Agrarwirtschaft; im städtischen Bereich werden Igel am nachhaltigsten geschützt, indem Grünflächen qualitativ und quantitativ erhalten und aufgewertet werden.Einleitend werden wichtige Fakten zur Biologie des Igels gegeben, um grundlegende Einsichten in die speziellen Ansprüche dieses Tieres zu vermitteln, was wiederum für das Verständnis und die Umsetzung von Schutz- und Fördermaßnahmen wichtig ist. Abschließend werden Methoden beschrieben, mit denen ein Monitoring von Igelpopulationen erfolgen kann, zum Beispiel für eine Wirkungskontrolle nach der Umsetzung von Schutz- und Fördermaßnahmen.SummaryHedgehogs are one of the most popular wild animals in Europe, but there is a lack of knowledge among the general public about the hedgehog's way of life as well as their numbers in the wild. For example, the declines in hedgehog populations that have been taking place throughout Europe for decades, and which are particularly serious in rural areas, have mostly remained hidden from the general public. Moreover it is nearly unknown that only sustainable conservation measures can stop these population declines, and thus preserve this species.In general, the main objectives of sustainable species conservation are to secure 1) their nutrition base, 2) structures and material for nests and predation avoidance, and 3) the connectivity of the habitats of this species. Here, sustainable conservation measures for hedgehog populations are listed according to these three main objectives and separately for rural and urban habitats, and summarized in a tabular overview (Tab. 5.1).The most effective conservation measures in agricultural areas are the conversion of industrial agriculture to ecological and structured agriculture; in urban areas hedgehogs are most sustainably protected by maintaining and enhancing the quality and quantity of green spaces.Introductory, important facts about hedgehog biology are given to provide basic insights into the special requirements of this animal, which in turn is important for understanding and implementing conservation measures. Finally, monitoring methods for hedgehog populations are described e.g. in order to evaluate the impact of conservation measures.

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Comparing non-invasive surveying techniques for elusive, nocturnal mammals: a case study of the West European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

Cited by 6 publications

References 50 publications

Conservation detection dogs: A critical review of efficacy and methodology

Conservation detection dogs: A critical review of efficacy and methodology

An experimental assessment of detection dog ability to locate great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) at distance and through soil

Nachhaltiger Schutz von Igelpopulationen in städtischen und ländlichen Lebensräumen

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