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| Behavioral solutions to problems encountered during conservation translocations � |
| Ronald R Swaisgood. Recovery Ecology, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, CA, United States |
Conservation translocation-the human-mediated movement of animals on the landscape-is an intervention of increasing importance, but with mixed outcomes. Few other conservation measures have benefited more from the application of behavioral theory. I will briefly review some of the most promising applications of behavior to translocations and summarize work that I have conducted with collaborators across a broad array of taxonomic groups. Examples of behavioral interventions that can influence translocation outcomes include: (1) personality assessment in source animals to predict post-release behavior; (2) assessing and training animals raised in human care for specific survival skills, with an emphasis on antipredator training; (3) managing the �(micro)habitat and resource availability at the release; and (4) developing tools to anchor animals at the release site, mitigating hyperdispersal. To illustrate these applications, I will pull examples from frogs, tortoises, Hawaiian birds, and giant pandas, among others. The result of work in this field is the development of a toolbox with several options for addressing problems to make conservation translocations more effective. |