In situ feeding as a new management tool to conserve orphaned Eurasian lynx (lynx lynx)

Premier, Joe; Gahbauer, Martin; Leibl, Franz; Heurich, Marco

doi:10.1002/ece3.7261

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…It has the advantage of being closer to a natural situation, meaning that the animal is not exposed to capture and captivity stress but goes through an experience that mimics natural separation from its mother. In addition, it reduces the risk of pathogen transmission [ 23 , 43 ] and habituation. On the other hand, health problems already carried by the orphans cannot be detected if no capture and no veterinary diagnostics are carried out.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rehabilitation and release of orphaned Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Europe: Implications for management and conservation

Molinari-Jobin,

Zimmermann,

Borel

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Rehabilitation of injured or immature individuals has become an increasingly used conservation and management tool. However, scientific evaluation of rehabilitations is rare, raising concern about post-release welfare as well as the cost-effectiveness of spending scarce financial resources. Over the past 20 years, events of juvenile Eurasian lynx presumably orphaned have been observed in many European lynx populations. To guide the management of orphaned lynx, we documented survival, rehabilitation and fate after the release and evaluated the potential relevance of lynx orphan rehabilitation for population management and conservation implications. Data on 320 orphaned lynx was collected from 1975 to 2022 from 13 countries and nine populations. The majority of orphaned lynx (55%) were taken to rehabilitation centres or other enclosures. A total of 66 orphans were released back to nature. The portion of rehabilitated lynx who survived at least one year after release was 0.66. Release location was the best predictor for their survival. Of the 66 released lynx, ten have reproduced at least once (8 females and 2 males). Conservation implications of rehabilitation programmes include managing genetic diversity in small, isolated populations and reintroducing species to historical habitats. The lynx is a perfect model species as most reintroduced populations in Central Europe show significantly lower observed heterozygosity than most of the autochthonous populations, indicating that reintroduction bottlenecks, isolation and post-release management have long-term consequences on the genetic composition of populations. The release of translocated orphans could be a valuable contribution to Eurasian lynx conservation in Europe. It is recommended to release orphans at the distribution edge or in the frame of reintroduction projects instead of a release in the core area of a population where it is not necessary from a demographic and genetic point of view. Rehabilitation programmes can have conservation implications that extend far beyond individual welfare benefits.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rehabilitation and release of orphaned Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Europe: Implications for management and conservation

Molinari-Jobin,

Zimmermann,

Borel

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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“…In cases where populations are too small or fragmented to naturally recover, other interventions can be followed that seek to mimic natural dispersal between populations, thus helping fragmented or reintroduced populations to overcome isolation (Premier et al 2021). These interventions include translocations and captive breeding and release programs, which have been followed and continue to be recommended for the disparate lynx populations in central Europe (Premier et al 2021).…”

Section: Conservation Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The recolonization of lynx from central to southern Sweden : A success story

Hemmingmoore

2023

Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae

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The recolonization of large carnivores into their historic range is characterized by ecological and anthropogenic challenges. This thesis explores the natural range expansion of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) into southern Sweden, the last region to be recolonized following near extirpation from Sweden in the 20th century. I first define three criteria for a recolonization to be successful: there must be 1) availability of quality habitat, 2) sufficient mate availability to facilitate growth, and 3) sufficient genetic diversity to prevent inbreeding. Underpinning these requirements is the need for connectivity to ensure animals can reach suitable habitat and remain connected to the source population. To answer the question as to whether this recolonization event was successful, I first used resource selection functions to identify suitable habitat (Paper I), then used Bayesian population growth models to assess whether inverse density dependence affected population growth during population establishment (Paper II). I then used population genomics to check for genetic structure resulting from recolonization (Paper III), and examined the network of individual relatedness to better understand connectivity during recolonization (Paper IV). The resource selection study predicted extensive suitable habitat in southern Sweden, which was validated with establishment data during recolonization. It also revealed that dispersing individuals were less selective than established lynx (Paper I). Our Bayesian population growth models found that the population in southern Sweden grew more slowly than that of centralSweden during prior recolonization, although an Allee effect was unlikely, indicating sufficient connectivity even at low population densities (Paper II). The genomic analysis showed no spatial or temporal population structure, again indicating connectivity (Paper III). Individual relatedness patterns found no isolation by distance or resistance (Paper IV). The lynx population was able to establish in southern Sweden despite legal quota hunting and poaching. These findings demonstrate that wideranging carnivore populations can expand in the absence of protected areas and despite hunting pressure. It is my hope that this case study proves useful to managers and conservation planners who seek to facilitate the recovery of other animal populations in human-dominated landscapes.

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Seasonal variability of scavenger visitations is independent of carrion predictability

De Pelsmaeker,

Ferry,

Stiegler

et al. 2024

Basic and Applied Ecology

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In situ feeding as a new management tool to conserve orphaned Eurasian lynx (lynx lynx)

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 7 publications

References 25 publications

Rehabilitation and release of orphaned Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Europe: Implications for management and conservation

Rehabilitation and release of orphaned Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Europe: Implications for management and conservation

The recolonization of lynx from central to southern Sweden : A success story

Seasonal variability of scavenger visitations is independent of carrion predictability

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