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14th European Vertebrate Management Conference
Kryštufek, Boris1,2*
1 Slovenian Museum of Natural History, Vertebrate Department, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 Science and Research Centre Koper, Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Studies, Koper, Slovenia
* bkrystufek@pms-lj.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.001
Four major taxonomic revisions published between 1982 and 2020 brought the total number of recognized mammalian species from the initial 4,629 species to the current 6,554 species, i.e. an astonishing increase of 57% in merely 38 years. Closer look at these lists shows that the estimate in each next edition is not merely the number in the previous issue with the addition of new discoveries in the interim period. Frequently, species are split through gain of new evidence which is not surprising given that taxonomic decisions are hypotheses rather than the reality itself. It comes more as a surprise that two globally used lists from 2020 reported widely different estimates: 5,899 species in the IUCN Red list versus the already quoted 6,554 species in the Checklist of the Mammals of the World. To make confusion even worse, experts involved in zoological systematics in general and species delimitation in particular take quite a variety of positions about the defining properties of a species. Over thirty species concepts are currently in circulation, each defining the species in at least slightly different ways. This may come as a surprise given that species are believed to be one of the fundamental units of biological organization underpinning every discipline of biology. Indeed, species lists have a wide range of users who have little time, interest or knowledge to interpret intelligently the results of taxonomic labour. The instability of taxonomic names is therefore perplexing to them, even more so when such changes are seemingly unnecessary.
Following de Queiroz, I argue that the source of the main problem with the species concept is in the confusion of two levels, the conceptual and operational one. Conceptually, species is a separately evolving metapopulation lineage. Such lineages are delimited by operational criteria (molecular, morphological, ecological etc.) which are currently referred to as species concepts. Two diverging lineages can be objectively ranked as distinct species only if they are sympatric. Sympatry allows an observer to safely conclude whether they are genetically (reproductively) incompatible but ecologically compatible. In other words, such lineages can co-occur because they can displace ecological niches on the one hand and maintain their genetic identity on the other hand. Disputes over taxonomic solutions invariably concern allopatric populations. Because allopatric entities do not interact in nature, uncertainties over their taxonomic status will continue in the future.
By using species lists of European mammals published since 1910, I will show that taxonomic change was far from being steady but instead showed at least one major twist in the mid-20th century. The overall effect of this change on our perception of mammalian diversity was strongly scale dependent. While it was insignificant at local scale, it heavily distorted the pattern at large scale.
Podgórski, Tomasz1,2*; Fattorini, Niccolò3; Augustsson, Evelina5; Baubet, Eric6; Cagnacci, Francesca7; Fiderer, Christian8,9; Fischer, Claude10; Heurich, Marco8,9,11; Ježek, Miloš2; Kjellander, Petter5; Klamm, Alis12; Licoppe, Alain13; Morelle, Kevin14; Náhlik, András15,16; Nivois, Eveline6; Olejarz, Astrid2; Said, Sonia6; Suter, Stefan17; Tari, Tamás 16; Vicente Baños, Joaquin18; Focardi, Stefano19
1 Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
2 Czech University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
3 University of Siena, Department of Life Sciences, Italy
4 National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
5 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
6 French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), Birieux, France
7 Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’Adige, Italy
8 Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
9 University of Freiburg, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Freiburg, Germany
10 University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland, Department of Nature Management, Jussy, Switzerland
11 Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Elverum, Norway
12 Hainich National Park Administration, Department of Nature Conservation and Research, Bad Langensalza, Germany
13 Service Public de Wallonie, Natural and Agricultural Environmental Studies Department, Gembloux, Belgium
14 Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Department of Migration, Radolfzell, Germany
15 Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Faculty of Life Sciences and Sports, Sfântu Gheorghe, Romania
16 University of Sopron, Institute of Wildlife Biology and Management, Sopron, Hungary
17 Zürich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Wädenswil, Switzerland
18 University of Castilla-La Mancha, Research Institute of Hunting Resources (IREC), Ciudad Real, Spain
19 Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi Sezione di Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
* podgorski@fld.czu.cz
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.009
Variation in animal social interactions emerges from individual responses to social and physical environments and plays a key role in shaping pathogen transmission, gene flow, and information transfer. Although hunting can induce changes in contact patterns through disruption of the social environment, the non-consumptive effects of hunting have not received much attention compared to demographic effects of harvest. Therefore, we examined the effects of hunting activities on contact rates in wild boar, a species particularly exposed to social disruptions owing to its high sociality and intense management. Using GPS-telemetry data from 21 populations across Europe (435 unique dyads) we analysed how hunting activities impact social contacts within and between wild boar groups. Additionally, we tested the effects of covariates potentially shaping contact heterogeneity (sex, seasonality, spatial proximity). We found that drive hunts, but not individual hunts, lowered contact rates within groups while contacts between members of different groups were not affected by the hunting methods. The frequency of between-group contacts was mainly shaped by a positive relationship with spatial proximity. Between-group contacts were predominantly maintained by males which is consistent with the matrilineal social system of wild boar. Contact rates varied seasonally within groups and were relatively even throughout the year between groups. Our study showcases how disturbance caused by hunting affects contact rates in a group-living species. Along with other (a)biotic drivers, hunting modality plays a significant role in shaping intra-group, but not inter-group, contacts. This novel result helps understanding the anthropogenic drivers of the intraspecific social contacts, with critical implications for individual fitness, population processes and wildlife management when species with high epidemiological relevance, such as wild boar, are involved.
Mortlock, Euan2; Silovský, Václav1; Guldenpfennig, Justine1; Faltusová, Monika1; Olejarz, Astrid1; Borger, Luca3; Ježek, Miloš1*; Jennings, Domhnall2; Capellini, Isabella2
1 Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Prague, Czech Republic
2 Queen's University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences, Belfast, UK
3 Swansea University, Department of Biosciences, Swansea, UK
* jezekm@fld.czu.cz
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.010
Sleep serves vital physiological functions, yet how sleep in wild animals is influenced by environmental conditions is poorly understood. Here we use high-resolution biologgers to investigate sleep in wild animals over ecologically relevant time scales and quantify variability between individuals under changing conditions. We developed a robust classification for accelerometer data and measured multiple dimensions of sleep in wild boar (Sus scrofa) over an annual cycle. In support of the hypothesis that environmental conditions determine thermoregulatory challenges, which regulate sleep, we show that sleep quantity, efficiency and quality are reduced on warmer days, sleep is less fragmented in longer and more humid days, while greater snow cover and rainfall promote sleep quality. Importantly, this longest and most detailed analysis of sleep in wild animals to date reveals large inter- and intraindividual variation. Specifically, short-sleepers sleep up to 46% less than long-sleepers but do not compensate for their short sleep through greater plasticity or quality, suggesting they may pay higher costs of sleep deprivation. Given the major role of sleep in health, our results suggest that global warming and the associated increase in extreme climatic events are likely to negatively impact sleep, and consequently health, in wildlife, particularly in nocturnal animals.
Colomer, Joana1,2,3*; Rodríguez-Teijeiro, José Domingo2,3; Rosell, Carme1,2; Massei, Giovanna4,5
1 Minuartia, Barcelona, Spain
2 University of Barcelona, Faculty of Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Barcelona, Spain
3 University of Barcelona, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Barcelona, Spain
4 Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control Europe, York, UK
5 University of York, Department of Environment and Geography, York, UK
* jcolomer@minuartia.com
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.011
Understanding factors affecting the reproductive dynamics of wild boar populations is essential for developing effective population management. Previous studies have demonstrated density dependence in wild boar population growth but the mechanisms driving this relationship remain poorly understood. This study examines key reproductive parameters—ovulation rate, litter size, intrauterine mortality, and breeding probability—and their relationship with density across five Mediterranean sites over three years (2021-2023), using data from 575 female wild boar. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) assessed the effects of population density on reproductive parameters, while structural equation models (SEMs) explored density-dependent mechanisms. A long-term dataset spanning 23 years was used to further explore the relationship between density and female body mass.
Results show that higher densities are associated with lower breeding probability, while ovulation rate, litter size, and intrauterine mortality were unaffected, suggesting that the primary reproductive adjustment to varying population densities lies in whether or not a wild boar female becomes pregnant, rather than the number of offspring produced. Female body mass influenced all reproductive parameters except intrauterine mortality. SEM analyses of the three years dataset did not reveal any effect of density on female body mass. Conversely, the long-term dataset demonstrated that higher population density is associated with reduced female body mass. This highlights the importance of long-term datasets in identifying processes that short-term studies might overlook. SEM also revealed a direct effect of density on breeding probability, independent of female body mass. This effect may reflect density-dependent changes in factors such as physiology, behaviour, or social structure, which ultimately influence reproduction. Our findings highlight the complex relationship between population density and reproductive success in wild boar and offer valuable information for understanding population dynamics and informing adaptive population management.
Flajšman, Katarina1*; Pokorny, Boštjan1,2; Levanič, Tomislav1,3
1 Slovenian Forestry Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 Faculty of Environmental Protection, Velenje, Slovenia
3 University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Koper, Slovenia
* katarina.flajsman@gozdis.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.012
The body mass of European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) fawns reflects the condition/fitness of populations, but it can also reveal which environmental factors have significant influence on body growth and consequently on population dynamics. Therefore, body mass data and knowledge about environmental effects are important indicators for wildlife managers. When climate change-induced events are becoming more frequent, it is important to understand their impact to make wildlife management more efficient, sustainable, and up-to-date.
In this study, we analysed the body mass of roe deer fawns culled during the regular hunting period in Slovenia between September and December in the 14-year period 2010-2023 (in a very large sample set of 148,432 individuals: 67,161 males and 81,271 females). Data was collected from the Central Slovene Hunting Information System (OSLIS), in which several data on every culled individual are registered. We focused on interannual differences in body mass of fawns in four geographical regions: (i) Pre-Alpine, (ii) Pre-Pannonian, (iii) Sub-Mediterranean, and (iv) Karstic-Dinaric region.
On the country level, data showed that the body mass of fawns significantly increased from September to November in both sexes, while there was no significant increase between November and December. Interannual differences as well as differences among regions were statistically significant. Although interannual variability of body mass was generally low, we observed larger drops in years 2013, 2018, and 2022, which were all years with extreme hot and dry weather events during the summer months. In 2013, the dry period lasted from 11 June until 10 August, resulting in severe damage in agriculture due to drought. In 2018, the phenological development in summer was premature, fruits of some plants and wheat ripened up to one month earlier, and the drought was observed mostly in August. Similarly, the summer of 2022 was 2.8°C warmer and the precipitation reached only 59% of the normal (average) level. Multiple factors could affect the body mass of fawns. On average, female roe deer in Slovenia give birth in May, although there are slight regional differences. More importantly, roe deer is an income breeder, therefore individuals do not store body reserves for reproduction as they mostly rely on the availability of food resources during the rut period. Therefore, it is expected that interannual variability in food availability and/or quality due to weather-related effects would affect body mass and growth of fawns in a particular year. In accordance, our results showed that there are connections between body mass of fawns and the summer weather (drought), especially when comparing variability of body mass per year and region; however, we were neither able to statistically prove these observations nor connect fawn body mass with precipitation, mean temperature, and/or max July temperature.
Borowski, Zbigniew1*; Strękowska, Klaudia2; Borkowski, Jakub2
1 Forest Research Institute, Department of Forest Ecology, Sękocin Stary, Poland
2 University of Warmia and Mazury, Department of Forestry and Forest Ecology, Olsztyn, Poland
* z.borowski@ibles.waw.pl
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.013
Ungulate browsers, especially deer, when at high densities, may have adverse effects on their environment and are significant drivers of threatening forest biodiversity and ecosystem services. That is why foresters try to protect young forest stages against browsing and bark-stripping young trees by deer. In Poland, for the last 25 years, the most common method of forest protection against deer is fencing. Even though it is an expensive method, it also has a substantial ecological impact on the forest ecosystems, both in fenced and unfenced habitats. Logically, increasing the proportion of fenced forest habitats elevates deer pressure on unfenced areas. To better illustrate the scale of this phenomenon, it is good to know that the area of protected forest by fencing in the last 20 years in Poland increased fourfold in the previous 20 years, i.e. from 50,000 to 200,000 ha. What was essential, at the same time, was to observe an increase in populations of large predators (mainly wolves) and stabilization of red deer and roe deer populations in Polish forests.
With that in mind, the study aims to answer the question: are fences in forests necessary to protect forest plantations against deer browsing? We conducted a large-scale experiment in 19 forest districts (FD) in five different Poland regions to answer this question. In each FD, in half of their area, all new forest plantations were unfenced, whereas in the other part they were fenced as usual. At the same time, efforts were made to connect non-fenced areas to form a compact forest complex. In each FD, ten forest plantations were drawn on the fenced and unfenced parts for browsing monitoring. To analyse the browsing impact on the fenced part of the FD, the ten drawn forest plantations located on the fenced part remained unfenced. In the first year, significantly less pressure on young trees in unfenced parts of the FD was noted for all tree species. In contrast, however, similar deer pressure on palatable tree species (oak) on both fenced and unfenced parts was recorded in the second year, while browsing pressure on the remaining tree species was similarly lower in unfenced areas than in the first year. Interestingly, a significant relationship was observed between the size of the forest plantation (ranging from 0.2 to 8 ha) and the intensity of browsing pressure, but only in unfenced areas. The intensity of deer browsing increased by more than 40% with the increase in the plantation area. The results show that fencing forest plantations significantly impacts deer foraging and usually increases the pressure on young trees in unfenced areas. At the same time, browsing pressure on palatable tree species increases with increasing tree age and forest plantation area. We therefore recommend creating forest plantations with small areas (less than 1 ha) and limiting fencing to palatable tree species, such as oak, only.
Monti, Flavio1*; Alari, Guido Esposito2; Anselmi, Giuseppe3; Pezzo, Francesco4; Rizzo Pinna, Vincenzo2; Sforzi, Andrea2; Sammuri, Giampiero5
1 Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), National Research Council (CNR), Campus Ecotekne, Lecce, Italy
2 Maremma Natural History Museum, Grosseto, Italy
3 Alcedo APS, Grosseto, Italy
4 Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Ozzano dell’Emilia, Italy
5 Tuscan Archipelago National Park, Locality Enfola, Portoferraio, Italy
* flavio.monti@cnr.it
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.014
Assessing individual differences and variability in movement patterns is essential to improve our understanding of the evolution and ontogeny of migratory strategies. In long-distance migratory species, fledged juveniles are extremely time-constrained in learning the essential skills for survival and preparing for migration, thus immediately facing a risky phase of their lives. Here we used high-resolution GPS/GSM transmitters fitted to juvenile Montagu’s harriers (Circus pygargus) from central Italy to collect information on their movement ecology during early life stages, namely the post-fledging dependence period (PFDP) and the pre-migratory phase (PMP), until autumn migration. We were interested in investigating the spatiotemporal variation in home range, movement patterns, and habitat use during different stages of this period.
After fledging, individuals showed high variability, in both space and time, in home range size, daily distances covered, distance to nest and PFDP length. Residence time at the natal site significantly decreased, while the time interval between revisits in the natal area significantly increased as the PFDP progressed. During the PMP, explored areas and distance to nest (up to 320.8 km) varied among individuals, despite daily distances covered (27 ± 40 km/day) and time allocation between traveling (60.7%) and foraging (39.3%) were similar across individuals. The PMP lasted 38 ± 14 days. Land cover composition of foraging locations was mostly represented by agricultural lands (~78.2%), though habitat use differed among individuals. More than 76% of such locations were located outside protected areas. Our novel individual-based tracking study improves previous knowledge based on field studies on the early life stages of the Montagu’s harrier. High interindividual variability in movement patterns, broad-range exploratory movements and foraging locations “off-the-radar” of the protected area network make the application of standard conservation measures difficult, raising concerns about the long-term preservation of this vulnerable migratory species in Italy.
Schlötelburg, Annika1*; Meneghini, Dorina2; Fickel, Jörns2,3; Schmolz, Erik4; Geduhn, Anke1
1 German Environment Agency, Department of Health Pests and their Control, Berlin, Germany
2 Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Berlin, Germany
3 University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam, Germany
4 German Environment Agency, Division IV Chemical Safety, Dessau-Roßlau, Germany
* Annika.schloetelburg@uba.de
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.026
When second generation anticoagulant rodenticides used to control rats in sewers come in contact with water, the active substances accumulate along the aquatic food chain. Residues of these substances have already been detected in fish and their predators, such as Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra), cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo), and common merganser (Mergus merganser). Despite their potentially detrimental effects to the wider ecosystem, rodenticides are still used to control urban rats in sewage systems. However, some cities like Zurich (Switzerland) and Erfurt (Germany) are managing urban rats without using rodenticides in the sewers.
Against this background, we investigated the efficacy of chemical rat control in sewers of six study areas in Berlin. We determined with two non-invasive monitoring methods the degree of rat infestations in the sewage system and adjacent parks, backyards or waste disposal sites at three time points: before, after, and six months after rodenticide application in the sewers. Underground, we applied wildlife cameras and measured feeding of a non-toxic bait; aboveground, we counted rats with a thermal camera and conducted a feeding census. Furthermore, we caught 262 rats and used their muscle tissue for genetic analysis. For the latter, an array with 96 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) was established to determine individual genotypes using 89 samples from rats of different parts of Berlin. Comparison of genotype frequencies at sampling sites before and after the treatment will show whether local gene pools have changed in size and allele frequencies after rodenticide application, and if rat packs have recovered within six months through reproduction or migration. In addition, we studied if individuals from above and underground were reproductively connected or separated. The latter would question the efforts to control rats in sewers, as they pose a neglectable health threat if they only occur underground.
First results show that the chemical control in the sewers initially reduced the number of underground rats, but to a degree only that allowed the populations to recover within six months. The aboveground populations appeared to be largely unaffected by the chemical control in the sewers. These results and the insights into the ecology of urban rats will help to develop a new urban rat management plan in order to use rodenticides only where necessary and effective.
This project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (grant number: 3721674020; project duration: Oct 2021 – Sep 2025).
Dürger, Joanna1; Trebus, Hans2*; Karpinski, Isabella2; Leucker, Marlene3; Reising-Hein, Christian3; Jacob, Jens4; Fischer, Christina1
1 Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Faunistics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Agriculture, Ecotrophology, and Landscape Development, Bernburg, Germany
2 Julius Kühn-Institute, Institute for Strategies and Impact Assessment, Kleinmachnow, Germany
3 Chamber of Agriculture North Rhine-Westphalia, Plant Protection Service, Plant Protection in Vegetable Crops and Warning Service, Cologne-Auweiler, Germany
4 Julius Kühn-Institute, Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Rodent Research, Münster, Germany
* hans.trebus@julius-kuehn.de
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.027
Mass reproduction of common voles occurs every 3-5 years. Especially in vegetable production during this time, yield losses are substantial, and total loss can be reached. Damaged vegetables cause increased sorting effort and cannot be sold. In German (organic) cropping, the carrot is the most important vegetable crop with a total yield of almost 800,000 tonnes in 2023. The evaluation of vole occurrence/activity and the cost-effectiveness of non-chemical alternatives for rodent management in this segment is of great importance for farming, as the use of chemical rodenticides is prohibited. Here, common vole activity, damage and yield were assessed in organic carrot fields in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Six fields were protected with a trench and at two fields no vole protection measures were introduced (experimental control). Activity indices were estimated in field edges and adjacent carrot fields from hair tubes or counts of active burrow entrances according to standard procedures to estimate common vole abundance. Vole damage and yield were determined on a field-specific basis. The economic efficiency of the tested measures was assessed with cost-benefit analysis. The direct costs of the management using trenches were compared with the financial losses due to yield reduction in fields without trenches. The resulting vole management cost-free performance is suitable as a benchmark for comparing the results of the field trials with secondary data-based scenario calculations.
First results indicate that during low population density of voles such as in the year 2024 there are no significant differences in vole activity in the field edges and the adjacent carrot fields. However, trenches may lose their effectiveness as a dispersal barrier for voles if they become overgrown or exposed to heavy rainfall. Further information will be collected in 2025 to contribute to the implementation of integrated plant protection in rodent management in organic farming.
This project is supported by funds of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) based on a decision of the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany via the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) under the Federal Programme for Ecological Farming (2819OE179, 2819OE180, 2819OE182).
González-Simón, Paula1*; Báscones-Reina, Miriam1; Hernández-Garavís, Lorena1; Garcés-Toledano, José Fernando1; Cuéllar-Basterrechea, Carlos1; Rodríguez-Moreno, Beatriz1; Blanca-Chana, Fernando1
1 Group for the Rehabilitation of Native Fauna and its Habitat (GREFA), Majadahonda, Spain
* paulagonzalez@grefa.org
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.028
The common vole (Microtus arvalis) is a rodent that regularly causes significant damage to crops and public health issues in Castilla y León (Spain). As an alternative to chemical methods and other measures that can be harmful to biodiversity, a biological control project has been implemented based on the promotion of the natural predators of this rodent. This initiative has worked successfully in experimental projects with nest boxes for raptors. However, there are areas that can serve as reservoirs for the common vole where the vegetation is dense, limiting the effectiveness of predatory birds. Therefore, we started studying the potential of using weasels (Mustela nivalis) as complementary predators by installing shelter boxes for them in three different areas of Castilla y León. The purpose was to assess the suitability of the shelter's design for these mustelids and to monitor their behaviour in order to evaluate their potential in pest control.
Preliminary results show a positive response of the weasels to the shelter-boxes and an increase in their activity in areas with high vole density. However, further studies are needed to optimize the design of the shelters and to assess the feasibility of releasing specimens from captive breeding programs. This project represents a significant advance in integrated pest management and opens new perspectives for the conservation of biodiversity in agroecosystems.
Friry, Salomé1*; Lindholm, Anna K.1; Manser, Andri1
1 University of Zürich, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Zürich, Switzerland
* salome.friry@uzh.ch
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.029
There are limited means of sustainably controlling invasive house mice (Mus musculus) populations, especially on islands where poison dissemination threatens endemic species and raises welfare concerns. Currently, we are investigating whether the t-haplotype, a naturally occurring meiotic driver in house mice, could be used as a more humane and specific alternative for pest control. In t-heterozygous males, the t-haplotype gains a transmission advantage by “sabotaging” wild-type sperm, whilst t-homozygous males are sterile. Therefore, control might be achieved by elevating the frequency of sterile males through the release and reproduction of t-carrying males into target populations. To accurately assess the impact of t-carrier releases, we measured the t-haplotype’s fertility effects in both sexes. For males, we studied the sperm’s quantity and quality: although fertile, the t-heterozygous male samples had lower motile sperm concentration than wild-type. The t-homozygous male samples also had lower overall sperm concentrations, with these few cells being mostly static and thus unable to achieve fertilisation. For females, we studied offspring production in the lab: surprisingly, t-homozygous females had litter sizes reduced by half compared to wild-type and t-heterozygous mothers. The severe fertility costs observed in both sexes suggest that the t-haplotype may be a promising tool for pest control. At the same time, we would also expect mice to evolve behavioural strategies such as female polyandry or mate choice to avoid t-related fertility costs. We will test this hypothesis in future work.
Quinn, Niamh1*; Miles, Bosarge1,2; Stapp, Paul2
1 University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Irvine, USA
2 California State University, Fullerton, USA
* nmquinn@ucanr.edu
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.030
Commensal rodents are one of the most widespread mammals in the urban environment. They pose threats to the public’s health and cause structural damage to buildings. Yet, their biology remains understudied. This leads to a lack of understanding of these species, and to incomplete management. Research has shown that commensal rodents enter bait stations less often than expected. This may be one of the reasons why certain populations of commensal rodents never achieve a satisfactory population decrease. Research has also shown that if rodents do not enter bait stations within two weeks of the start of the management program, the program is likely to fail.
We will discuss evaluations of whether modifications to bait stations and luring approaches influence station discovery, entry, bait consumption, or nightly activity of rats. We will also discuss how yard- and landscape-scale characteristics influence visitations to stations by rats in the presence of pets and livestock, nearby food resources, and past and ongoing rodent management.
Potočnik, Hubert1*; Jelenko Turinek, Ida2; Jaklič, Ana1; Črtalič, Jaka1; Mlinarič, Eva3; Jerina, Klemen1; Al Sayegh Petkovšek, Samar4; Platovšek, Zarja4; Črnec, Katja4; Stergar, Matija5; Kos, Ivan1; Šprem, Nikica6; Zgorelec, Željka6; Perčin, Aleksandra6; Galić, Marija6; Rubinić, Vedran6; Jurković Balog, Nikolina6; Pokorny, Boštjan4,7
1 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 Municipality of Ljubno, Ljubno ob Savinji, Slovenia
3 Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation, Ljubljana, Slovenia
4 Faculty of Environmental Protection, Velenje, Slovenia
5 Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana, Slovenia
6 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, Croatia
7 Slovenian Forestry Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
* hubert.potocnik@bf.uni-lj.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.031
One species that often comes into conflict with humans is wild boar (Sus scrofa). In the last decades, various anthropogenic changes in the environment have improved habitat conditions for wild boar, causing an increase in the abundance as well as damage caused by the species in most of its range (including Slovenia). In order to design effective strategies and measures for controlling agricultural damage caused by wild boar, we need to identify and better understand the influential factors, affecting the incidence and degree of damage. One of behavioural characteristics of the species is rooting, which causes the most damage in agricultural areas, and with increasing populations and proximity to humans, wild boar is expected to come into conflict with humans more and more frequently.
We analysed the relationship between damage caused by wild boar rooting and vegetation, soil characteristics, topography, and human disturbance factors. Damage data were collected over two periods: 2000-2008 and 2020-2022. We examined impact of set of environmental/population variables, including perceptual variables in the form of the proportion of urban, agricultural, grassland, forest and other land cover in 1 km and 3 km radius around damage locations. We used generalized regression model, Maxent and generalized linear mixed effect models (GLMMs) to estimate the influence of particular variables in prediction of rooting probability. Furthermore, we examined levels of organic C, total N and some other parameters in soils on rooted locations as well as presence of dominant plant species and their underground parts (root types, stolones, bulbs, and tubers).
Examined models showed that 2-3 environmental/population variables per model had the most important role on the occurrence of wild boar damages in the agricultural land: (i) density of wild boar harvest, density of feeding places (proxies for wild boar population density), (ii) the length of forest edge and density of forest cover (main habitat appearance), and (iii) human footprint index (presence of human disturbance). Damages on grassland occurred in parts of meadows where levels of organic carbon and total nitrogen were significantly higher in comparison with parts of meadows where rooting was not present.
Eckerström Liedholm, Simon1*; Hecht, Luke1; Elliott, Vittoria2
1 Wild Animal Initiative, Minneapolis, USA
2 National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA
* simon.liedholm@wildanimalinitiative.org
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.024
Populations close to their carrying capacity are often suppressed through mechanisms that are likely to affect welfare negatively, such as starvation, intraspecific competition, and disease. Although usually thought of only as a non-lethal approach to population control, wildlife contraception has the potential to improve wild animals’ welfare above natural baselines, by averting negative consequences of high population density. Knowing under what conditions average welfare may be expected to increase in a population controlled through the use of wildlife contraception has potential practical implications for the management of wild animals. In general, positive welfare effects of wildlife contraceptives are more likely to occur when reproduction continues unabated and survival is reduced at high densities, and less likely when adults naturally limit immediate reproduction (defined as 'self-imposed fertility control’) in favour of somatic maintenance and parental care. Furthermore, wildlife contraception is likely to have the largest positive impact on welfare where large declines in juvenile survival occur between growing and stable population states, and where these declines steepen as populations approach carrying capacity. Lastly, the welfare benefits to already managed populations of wild animals are likely larger when the current methods are expected to cause protracted deaths, such as from the use of rodenticides, compared to other common causes of death for those animals. We present a framework, based on these principles, for predicting how much a given species stands to benefit from wildlife contraception based on its life history strategy and other traits.
Huels, Florian1*; Vanden Broecke, Bram2; Sluydts, Vincent2; Kirkpatrick, Lucinda2,3; Herrera Olivares, Ivan3; Vermeiren, Dries2; Ennen, Hendrik1; Leirs, Herwig2; Jacob, Jens1
1 Julius Kühn-Institute, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Rodent Research, Münster, Germany
2 University of Antwerp, Evolutionary Ecology Group, Wilrijk, Belgium
3 IoSA Tracking – Internet of Small Animals, Antwerp, Belgium
* florian.huels@julius-kuehn.de
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.016
Rodents' spatial behaviour is a highly relevant feature in applied and basic research. Commensal rodents such as rats and house mice show diverse ecological and behavioural adaptations. Movement data can provide important insights into spatial and temporal activity patterns. In close proximity to humans, rodents can play a major role in pathogen transmission, especially in agricultural environments.
In this study, the spatial behaviour of rats and house mice on livestock farms and their potential role in pathogen transmission was investigated. Using a novel Bluetooth logger system, contact data and movement patterns of the rodents on the farms were recorded and identified. The results showed that there are differences among the commensal rodent species, i.e. black rat (Rattus rattus), Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) and house mouse (Mus musculus), in temporal activity patterns, home range size, and movements between individual stable buildings. Rat species showed typical night activity whereas house mice were active throughout day and night. House mice travelled significantly longer distances while rats occupied larger home and core area sizes. The rodents used certain preferred areas and did almost never move between buildings. While movements between different stables were rare, movements within the buildings were frequently recorded and occasional excursions to the perimeter of neighbouring buildings occurred. The probability of direct contact with livestock and their feeding stations and thus a possible transmission of pathogens seems mostly related to the rodents’ resident in a particular building. The contact data showed that rats avoid encounters with other individuals outside their core areas. The social network identified clusters of contacts among individuals where pathogen transfer is most likely. The practicability of Bluetooth proximity loggers for the study of small mammal spatiotemporal behaviour could be successfully demonstrated.
This is a RodentGate publication financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) through the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) and funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme with the framework of Cofound ERA-Net ICRAD.
Jánošíková, Radoslava1*; Tulis, Filip1; Baláž, Ivan1; Eccard, Jana A.2; Mazza, Valeria2,3
1 Constantine the Philosopher University, Department of Environmental Sciences, Nitra, Slovak Republic
2 University of Potsdam, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Animal Ecology, Potsdam, Germany
3 University of Tuscia, Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, Viterbo, Italy
* r.janosikova@gmail.com
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.017
Pioneer individuals at the edge of an ongoing expansion face unique ecological and evolutionary challenges. It shapes their behaviour to be different from stable, long-established populations. This study investigated behavioural responses associated with risk-taking and exploratory tendencies. It was conducted on small mammals across different colonization stages using a standardized behavioural test in the field. We quantified exploration and boldness of striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius, n=95) from six subpopulations. The population is already established in Germany, and it is re-colonizing Slovakia. The study also included bank voles (Myodes glareolus, n=76) that shared the same habitats but were long-established at all sites. We hypothesized that behavioural traits, such as exploration and risk-taking, would differ. This would be highly expressed in the population at the expansion edge compared to conspecifics in long-established populations. Individuals facing novel environments could benefit from adaptive strategies that enhance their survival and dispersal.
Our findings revealed no significant difference in the measured behaviour between two populations of established bank voles. Striped field mice in the expanding populations were slower in exploring the test arena but showing comparable levels of risk taking as established populations. A slow and thorough exploration strategy might play an advantageous role in the expansion processes of small mammal populations. This could compensate for their reduced speed in resource discovery and acquisition compared to individuals in established populations.
Košša, Jakub1*; Tulis, Filip1; Baláž, Ivan1, Jánošíková, Radoslava1; Ambros, Michal2; Baláž, Michal3; Poláčiková, Zuzana4; Jureček, Rudolf5; Dudich, Alexander6; Stollmann, Andrej7; Ševčík, Michal1
1 Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Department of Environmental Sciences, Nitra, Slovakia
2 ŠOP SR, Administration of CHKO Ponitrie, Nitra, Slovakia
3 Catholic University in Ružomberok, Faculty of Education, Ružomberok, Slovakia
4 Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics, Department of Zoology and Anthropology, Nitra, Slovakia
5 ŠOP SR, Administration of CHKO Záhorie, Malacky, Slovakia
6 Nám. Sv. Trojice 15, Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia
7 Krivá 10, Hurbanovo, Slovakia
* jakub.kossa@ukf.sk
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.018
Range expansion, as an extension of the normal colonisation process, is characterised by establishment and an increase in abundance. This study combines conventional methods with citizen science to investigate the occurrence of the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius; thereafter SFM) in Slovakia and its ongoing expansion. In 2024, fifty years after the first records of SFM's spreading in eastern Slovakia, the species expanded its range to approximately 18,600 km², reflecting a remarkable 135% increase in occurrence compared to its initial distribution in 1974. We observed a dynamic increase in SFM's dominance following the colonization of new sites, with no significant seasonal effects on its abundance. This sustained rise in dominance signifies successful establishment and indicates that the “expansion front” is effectively overcoming environmental barriers, thereby facilitating further spreading into adjacent territories. Our findings suggest that the expansion process of native species like the SFM can mimic characteristics typically associated with invasions by alien species, raising important ecological implications regarding species interactions and community dynamics. Utilising citizen science significantly enhanced our data collection efforts, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of SFM's distribution and abundance. This collaborative approach not only enriched our dataset but also engaged local communities in conservation efforts, demonstrating the value of citizen science in ecological research and species monitoring.
In conclusion, the striped field mouse’s expansion serves as a compelling case study illustrating how native species can exhibit invasive-like behaviour concerning dominance and range increase. Our results emphasize the necessity for ongoing monitoring of small mammals and the development of effective management strategies to address potential ecological impacts arising from their spreading. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for biodiversity conservation and habitat management in the face of changing environmental conditions.
The study has been conducted with the support of grant project VEGA 1/0080/23.
Shi, Jinxiao1; Zhao, Peiwen1; Cui, Shunping1; Li, Changxin1; Yang, Yang1; Yang, Yuying1; Jia, Rui1*
1 Shaanxi Normal University, College of Life Sciences, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
* jiarui@snnu.edu.cn
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.019
Social bonds play a pivotal role throughout the lifespan of (social) animals including humans. Stable and long-lasting social bonds have positive effects on emotion, physiology, and behaviours. However, the neuromechanism of pair bond interruption on emotion is not clearly known. In this study, monogamous male mandarin voles (Lasiopodomys mandarinus) were used to study the neuromechanisms of the oxytocin (OT) system after pair bond interruption which likely induced emotion disorders.
The results showed that pair bond interruption can induce anxiety- and depression-like behaviours in mandarin voles. We find that pair bond interruption impaired maturation of dendritic spines in the NAccShell, increased neuron activity in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), decreased OT-ir fiber density to NAccShell, inhibited neuron activity and OT receptor protein levels in the NAccShell. Exogenous administration of OT and OTR-A influenced behaviours, with OTR-A mimicking interruption effects and OT reversing them. In conclusion, the present study proved that pair bond interruption can induce emotion disorders in male mandarin voles and the OT system in the PVN-NAccShell neural circuit may play a key role to modulate behaviours. These conclusions enhance our understanding of the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying emotional disturbances caused by pair bond interruption, and provide a theoretical basis for future research and treatment of emotional disturbances induced by pair bond interruption.
Li, Mengyang1; Wang, Zhenlong1*
1 Zhengzhou University, School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou, China
* wzl@zzu.edu.cn
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.020
Skeletal muscle, a pivotal regulator of metabolic equilibrium, facilitates body movement through the contraction and relaxation of muscle fibers and is highly dependent on mitochondrial substrate oxidation for energy production. Hypoxic environment will lead to the reduction of oxidative capacity in muscle cells and insufficient energy supply, which will affect the physiological function and survival of mammals. However, the skeletal muscle of mammals living in hypoxia environment for a long time has formed obvious evolutionary characteristics of hypoxia adaptation in terms of morphology, structure and physiological function. Here, we carried out transcriptomics and quasi-targeted metabolomics analysis on skeletal muscle tissue of Qinghai vole (Neodon fuscus), Brandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) and Kunming mice (Mus musculus) after hypoxia (10% O2, 48 h) and normoxia treatment, thereby revealing the underlying molecular mechanisms. N. fuscus, native to high-altitude environments, tended to sustain energy supplies through enhanced fatty acid oxidation under low-oxygen conditions. Conversely, L. brandtii and M. musculus, acclimatized to middle- and low-altitude habitats, relied on aerobic oxidation and anaerobic glycolysis of glucose, respectively, for energy maintenance under hypoxic conditions. In addition to their differential metabolic preferences under hypoxic conditions, these three rodent species showed species-specific responses related to oxygen utilization, antioxidant defence mechanisms, and anti-inflammatory processes. This study provides insights into the metabolic response patterns of mammalian skeletal muscle under hypoxic conditions, thereby establishing a basis for future investigations on transcriptional–metabolic associations.
Smith, Graham1*; Cowan, Dave2; Palphramand, Kate1
1 National Wildlife Management Centre, APHA, Sand Hutton, York, UK
2 Wildlife Consulting, York, UK
* graham.smith@apha.gov.uk
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.032
Wildlife can cause conflicts with humans through economic losses, impacts on health, the environment and social impacts. Here we have collated, or estimated, the damage for each mammalian species in Britain in each of these categories. A five-point scale of impact was used to categorise each impact, with this starting at no, minimal or less than £10,000 per year, up to widespread severe effects or more than £10 million economic loss per year. The results will be presented in terms of individual species, taxa (e.g. deer or bats) and whether they are native or not. While deer, rats and rabbits are often assumed to be the major pest species, we will put this into perspective with some probable surprises for the impact of other mammal species. Results from a total of 28 terrestrial and 18 bat species that are considered native, 12 introduced species and a few feral species will be presented. A similar exercise was completed in 2013 and we will compare changes over the last 10 years.
Bíl, Michal1*; Kubeček, Jan1; Andrášik, Richard1; Sedoník, Jiří1,2
1 CDV – Transport Research Centre, Department of Geoinformatics, Brno, Czech Republic
2 Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
* michal.bil@cdv.cz
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.033
Czechia has a dense transportation network. The vast majority of roads are unfenced, which even applies to certain sections of motorways. Along with high populations of wildlife, particularly roe deer and wild boar, this creates a potential for conflicts on transportation infrastructure. Between 2010 and 2019, the number of recorded events in the form of traffic accidents –collisions with wildlife– tripled. Currently, wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) make up 50% of all traffic accidents occurring outside built-up areas. This places a significant administrative burden on traffic police, and as a result, reporting of these events is gradually being discontinued in various districts in the official traffic accident database. Thus, the official data after 2019 shows a decline. On the other hand, data from hunters is unreliable, as hunters are not motivated to report roadkill. Therefore, at CDV, we created a model that aims to estimate the true number of these incidents. From our estimates, it appears that the official WVC numbers reported by the police today represent about half of the actual situation.
To gain an overview of WVCs that are not captured through official reporting channels, we developed a tool to integrate reports of such incidents as well as findings of carcasses. Srazenazver.cz is a platform that integrates official data from the police, traffic information systems, hunters, and also volunteers. As of October 2024, this database contained nearly 160,000 records, with 76% of incidents involving roe deer and 9% wild boar. For road managers, we offer the identification of high-risk locations, which are then remediated. This also applies to WVC. For the national road authority, we developed the kdebourame.cz, which includes WVC hotspots. To detect hotspots, we used our own KDE+ method (https://www.kdeplus.cz/en/).
WVCs are a complex issue, and their solution goes beyond transportation infrastructure, extending into the landscape. It is connected to management practices in hunting, forestry, and agriculture. To offer proven solutions, we test the effectiveness of various mitigation measures. The most widely used, dominant measure in Czechia is odour repellents. We have been studying their effectiveness since 2014. Recent research suggests they may reduce collisions, but only for a limited time frame of several weeks. Since our research was based on carcass collection, we cannot provide insights into animal behaviour or the circumstances of collisions. Therefore, we are preparing testing aimed at understanding animal behaviour near these measures. For this, we are testing tools for analysing GPS collar data and methods for image analysis. However, a vehicle is also required for wildlife collisions. Therefore, we also focus on drivers and methods to influence their behaviour. In our current research, we are testing, using surveys, radars, driving simulators, and other tools, how drivers perceive the "wildlife" traffic sign. The goal of our activities is to describe the wildlife collision issue in Czechia and contribute to reducing the number of these incidents.
Konjević, Dean1*; Ranogajec, Vlasta2; Krapinec, Krešimir3; Lugarić, Snježana2; Bujanić, Miljenko1; Madi, Ivan4; Kruc, Miljenko5; Reindl, Branimir6
1 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
2 City of Zagreb, City Office for Economy, Environmental Sustainability and Strategic Planning, Sector for Agriculture, Forestry and Hunting, Zagreb, Croatia
3 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Zagreb, Croatia
4 Zagreb Zoo, Zagreb, Croatia
5 Zagreb Hunting Association, Sesvete, Croatia
6 Wilderness Research and Management j.d.o.o., Novoselec, Croatia
* dean.konjevic@vef.unizg.hr
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.034
Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is an opportunistic species which thrives in the urban environment, but causes fear, crop damages, wildlife-vehicle collisions, and represents a potential source of zoonoses. In the last decades, the occurrence of wildlife in urban areas is an increasing phenomenon, which leads to the mentioned human-wildlife conflicts. At the same time, one part of the citizens dislikes the presence of wildlife in the city, while the other one supports them with additional feeding. This conflict of opinions makes it harder to implement measures to control their presence. Urban wildlife in the city of Zagreb is partially managed under the Program of game protection. Within that, monitoring of presence and corridors of wild boar and crows, and their control was launched by the City administration in cooperation with Zagreb ZOO, Zagreb Hunting Association, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb. In the preparatory phase, locations with reported human-wild boar conflicts were analysed on the field, and photo-traps were deployed. Mobile modular traps with the ability to monitor wild boar via mobile phone were installed on selected locations. Trapped wild boar were chemically immobilized and euthanized, since translocation of alive wild boar is currently prohibited due to the risk of African swine fever transmission. Samples of faeces, blood, nasal and rectal swabs were collected for the purpose of partial health monitoring. Authorized company removed the carcasses. In the same time, hunting associations performed shooting of wild boar in the areas where it was possible according to the legislation. Presence of wild boar in Zagreb during the winter was monitored using the thermal cameras mounted on a drone. Along with cage trapping and shooting, other measures including donation of repellents to citizens, conduction of education, and cleaning of abandoned areas under succession of the secondary growth are also implemented. It is further planned to immobilize five wild boar and mark them with GPS collars to identify corridors used by these animals and connection with nearby Nature Park Medvednica. This integrative approach resulted in removal of 98 wild boar in the period of 1.5 years.
Platovšek, Zarja1*; Pokorny, Boštjan1,2; Al Sayegh Petkovšek, Samar1; Broz, Ludek3; Bužan, Elena4,1; Duniš, Luka4; Occhibove, Flavia5; O'Mahony, Kieran3; Šprem, Nikica6; von Essen, Erica7; Seferović, Anesa6; Zanet, Stefania5; Ferroglio, Ezio5
1 Faculty of Environmental Protection, Velenje, Slovenia
2 Slovenian Forestry Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
3 Institute of Ethnology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
4 University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Koper, Slovenia
5 University of Turin, Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Turin, Italy
6 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Apiculture, Wildlife Management and Special Zoology, Zagreb, Croatia
7 Stockholm University, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm, Sweden
* zarja.platovsek@fvo.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.035
In Europe, wild boar serves as the primary reservoir of African swine fever (ASF), which requires strategies to control disease transmission, including the separation of their populations. We evaluated the effectiveness of different methods for controlling wild boar movement through unpublished field experiences using an ad hoc questionnaire distributed to relevant professionals (e.g. veterinary authorities/veterinarians, wildlife managers, wildlife scientists) across Europe. Based on 69 relevant responses from 17 European countries, we gathered evidence on the effectiveness of fences (solid/mesh and electric), natural barriers, and other methods such as repellents/deterrents in affecting wild boar movement, primarily aimed at crop protection and ASF transmission risk reduction.
Questionnaire results showed that solid fences are a very effective tool for crop protection and forest protection (reasonably to completely effective: 85.7% and 90.0%, respectively), and less so for increasing road/railway safety or reducing wildlife-livestock interactions. However, regarding ASF control, solid fences were considered to be very or completely effective for virus control only in 35.7% of cases. Similarly, electric fences are very effective for crop and forest protection (reasonably to completely effective: 91% and 88%, respectively), and to a lesser extent for reducing wildlife-livestock interactions, ASF transmission, or increasing road/railway safety. These findings suggest that while certain types of barriers can reduce wild boar movements, their effectiveness is influenced by numerous factors such as fence characteristics and landscape features. Responses received from different European countries confirmed that, although fences are not fully impermeable, both solid and electric fences can be effective, mainly for crop protection, and to a lesser extent, for ASF control. However, field experiences indicate that successful ASF control not exclusively depends on a specific type of fence, but on the coordinated efforts of different stakeholders, including animal health authorities, local authorities, hunting associations, wildlife managers, farmers, landowners, and the general public.
Nowak, Katarzyna1,2*; Bubnicki, Jakub1,3; Jaroszewicz, Bogdan2; Kołodziej-Sobocińska, Marta1; Komar, Ewa1; Kuberski, Łukasz4; Michielsen, Rosanne1; Morawski, Kamil1; Nowak, Paweł2; Richards, Shane A.5; Ruczyński, Ireneusz1; Samojlik, Tomasz1; Selva, Nuria6,7; Śmielak, Michał8; Stachowicz, Izabela9,3; Zegarek, Marcin1; Żmihorski, Michał1
1 Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
2 University of Warsaw, Faculty of Biology, Białowieża Geobotanical Station, Białowieża, Poland
3 Open Science Conservation Fund, Białowieża, Poland
4 Forest Research Institute, Department of Natural Forests, Białowieża, Poland
5 University of Tasmania, School of Natural Sciences, Hobart, Tasmania
6 Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
7 Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
8 University of New England, School of Environmental and Rural Science, New South Wales, Armidale, Australia
9 University of Łodź, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Department of Geobotany and Plant Ecology, Łodź, Poland
* knowak02@gmail.com
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.036
Linear infrastructure and militarization are ubiquitous features of the Anthropocene. Transboundary areas are increasingly vulnerable to both on account of border security measures implemented by non-environment sectors and require special attention for effective biodiversity and connectivity conservation. Białowieża Forest is a transboundary World Heritage site recently split by a state border barrier. Drawing on a variety of methods including transects, camera traps, snow-tracking, and audio recording, we are attempting to evaluate how militarization of the Polish-Belarussian border is affecting wildlife and the forest. Transect data from 10 locations along the border and 3 from “control” roads suggests that wildlife avoids both types of structures but avoidance of the border is stronger. At the border, there is relatively more human activity (as determined by human sign encounter rates and camera trap rates) and less animal sign and activity, while near roads, animal sign is concentrated at intermediate distances. Human signs and sounds are most pervasive along the border but fall off with increasing distance from the edge. Observations from snow track surveys suggest that some opportunistic mesocarnivore species are relatively undeterred by the barriers and attracted to military outposts for feeding opportunities. Signs (tracks) of domestic animals, especially cats, also appear near outposts indicating increased domestic animal-wildlife-human interface. A mix of field methods under challenging conditions is yielding insights which can help inform further monitoring and mitigation.
Ludolphy, Catharina1*; Gräber, Reinhild2; Strauß, Egbert2; Klages, Inga2; Reding, Raoul3; Anders, Ole4; Middelhoff, Tomma Lilli4; Balkenhol, Niko1
1 University of Goettingen, Wildlife Sciences, Goettingen, Germany
2 University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover (Foundation), Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, Hannover, Germany
3 Hunting Association of Lower Saxony, Hannover, Germany
4 Harz National Park, St. Andreasberg, Germany
* catharina.ludolphy@uni-goettingen.de
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.037
Protective legislation, improved public opinions, and measures fostering the coexistence of large carnivores in our anthropogenic landscapes have aided the re-establishment of wolves and lynx in Germany. As their return is accompanied by conflicts, much effort is put into observing the recolonization process throughout the country. Our study focuses on contrasting two different data-gathering approaches for monitoring carnivore presence in Lower Saxony, Germany: (i) the official monitoring approach, which combines public reports that are validated by experts with systematic methods, such as scat searches; (ii) an annual wildlife survey in the form of a questionnaire sent to hunting district owners and leaseholders, requesting information on several hunting and wildlife-related topics, including the presence of both large carnivore species in their districts.
Though both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, a preliminary evaluation of wolf data published in 2017 showed high spatial congruence between the datasets gathered from these two methods. This suggests that their combined use could potentially yield more accurate information on species occurrences. However, this preliminary evaluation focused only on wolves and was only done for the first two years in which questions related to carnivore presence were incorporated within the wildlife survey. We therefore compared the information of both approaches on the occurrences of lynx and wolf in terms of their general agreement, their spatial patterns, and also their temporal dynamics using an internal classification scheme. Similar information was provided by both approaches regarding the general development of lynx and wolf occurrences across Lower Saxony. However, spatial differences were mainly found at the periphery of their confirmed distribution ranges. Regarding temporal dynamics, the wildlife survey provides information about two years ahead of the official monitoring programs. The species-related differences in the accuracy of our classification system may be attributed to different attitudes towards the two species. Ultimately, our findings suggest that both monitoring approaches are complementary and the assessment of species occurrences should involve insights from both datasets.
Henriot, Charles Pierre1*; Bonenfant, Christophe2; Berger, Léopold1; Powolny, Thibaut3; Renaude, Régis3; Sage, Mickaël1
1 Faune INNOV’ R&D, Besançon, France
2 Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Laboratoire de biométrie et biologie évolutive, Villeurbanne, France
3 Fédération Départementale des Chasseurs du Doubs, Gonsans, France
* charles.henriot@faune-innov.fr
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.021
The anthropisation of environment and habitat fragmentation are major drivers of biodiversity loss, eroding the resilience and genetic diversity of local populations, making wildlife reinforcements increasingly necessary to ensure their conservation. However, the factors influencing the success of such operations, in particular the survival and habitat selection of released individuals, remain poorly documented for certain species and certain landscape types. Several studies have investigated the effects of European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) translocations. However, the survival and habitat selection behaviour of released hares, as well as the spatial and temporal impacts of reinforcements, remain poorly understood in grassland landscapes. Therefore, our study aims to characterise the impacts of hare reinforcements into grassland-dominated landscapes with low hare densities in terms of: (i) survival and causes of mortality of released individuals, (ii) their habitat selection, and (iii) the overall spatial and temporal impact of releases on local population dynamics.
A total of 103 hares from a professional breeding facility were released in two waves (51 in 2021 and 52 in 2022) in a mid-mountainous grassland-dominated landscape (2000 ha, Jura Mountains, France) with a low hare density. Movements and survival were monitored using GPS collars and the carcasses were examined in a veterinary lab to determine the cause of death. Local population density estimates were conducted before, during, and after releases using point transect sampling in and outside the reinforcement area (63 points in 10,000 ha large area).
Overall survival rates were low, primarily due to predation, roadkill, and diseases although the distribution of causes varied over time. At the landscape level, released hares favoured closed habitats (i.e., forest and hedges), while avoiding built areas and roads. Within their home range, hares selected closed habitats during the day (inactive period) and open habitats (i.e., grasslands and winter cereals) at night (active period). Bayesian spatiotemporal generalized linear mixed models indicated that reinforcements had little short-term overall impact on local hare population dynamics. The spatial impact of releases was restricted, while the observed densities increased post-reinforcement. These findings provide crucial insights to optimize population reinforcement efforts by identifying preferred habitats and key mortality factors for released hares. This information not only enables future releases to be targeted in more favourable environmental conditions—ultimately increasing survival rates and supporting long-term stability of reinforced populations—but also enhances our understanding of ecological dynamics and habitat requirements of wild hare populations.
Jerina, Klemen1*; Bordjan, Dejan1; Kryštufek, Boris2,3; Ponikvar, Lovrenc1
1 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Forestry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 Slovenian Museum of Natural History, Vertebrate Department, Ljubljana, Slovenia
3 Science and Research Centre Koper, Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Studies, Koper, Slovenia
* klemen.jerina@bf.uni-lj.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.022
Deciduous forests that produce fat-rich mast (oak, chestnut, especially beech) are prime habitats for edible dormouse (Glis glis) within its global distribution range—Europe and Asia Minor. In such forests, dormouse biomass can exceed the combined biomass of all ungulate species. The dormouse experiences substantial predation pressure and serves as a food (either occasionally or as a seasonally significant resource) for numerous omnivorous and carnivorous species of mammals, birds, and reptiles, in size spanning from least weasel to brown bear. Energetically, dormouse may represent an important link between fat-rich seeds and higher trophic levels, thus driving forest ecosystems; due to its multiple ecological roles, it may be considered a keystone species. The majority of contemporary dormouse research focuses on its activity, hibernation, synchronization of reproduction and activity with mast years, and its exposure to predators. However, most studies are conducted outside karst regions, which are among the best habitats for this species. In non-karst areas, dormice often use tree cavities, bird nesting boxes, underground hibernacula, and buildings as daily and winter dens. In contrast, in karst regions, they typically rely on the numerous caves and other underground caverns for both winter hibernation and daily rest. Dormice are particularly vulnerable to predation during their active periods, e.g. while foraging in tree canopies. A much narrower range of predators can hunt dormice during their inactive periods, which they typically spend underground in karst caverns. The entrances to these caverns are usually narrow, allowing dormice to pass while excluding larger predators. Dormice daily concentrate at these entrances, with many individuals sharing the same cavern. Their activity is predictable, and on the ground, they are less agile compared to their movements in the canopy. As a result, these entry points may serve as effective hunting sites for predators, a hypothesis that remains unexplored.
The aim of this study was to analyse the seasonal and interannual dynamics of dormouse activity and the species composition of predators at the entrances to underground caverns. We continuously monitored the entrances to ten dormouse caverns using black infrared camera traps over two years—good and poor beech mast year. During the poor mast year, we recorded 250 dormouse entries/exits (compared to over tenfold more in the good mast year) and 480 instances of eight predator species lingering near the entrances: stone/pine marten (266), wildcat (68), red fox (67), domestic cat (45), badger (19), brown bear (17), and wild boar (4). Predators frequently displayed signs of vigilance and appeared to monitor the entrances, suggesting they were hunting dormice and synchronizing their activity near the shelters with that of the dormice. Our research suggests that dormouse cavern entrances are an efficient hunting site for major medium and large mammalian species of predators of dormouse. At the same time, it indicates how dormouse optimize its fitness and survival by alternating between the use of safe underground caverns and foraging in tree canopy.
De Barba, Marta1,2*; Konec, Marjeta1,2; Boljte, Barbara2; Pazhenkova, Elena1,2; Hrga, Nuša2; Majić Skrbinšek, Aleksandra1,2; Simčič, Gregor2; Brenner, Wiebke3; Kozyra-Zyskowska, Katarzyna4; Sharma, Sandeep5; Malić Limari, Snježana6; Skrbinšek, Tomaž1,2
1 DivjaLabs Ltd., Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
3 Rewilding Oder Delta e.V., Rothenklempenow, Germany
4 Praca Przyrodnika Sp. z o.o., Szczecin, Poland
5 German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
6 WWF Adria, Zagreb, Croatia
* marta.debarba@gmail.com
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.023
Trophic interactions, which encompass the diet of a species and its dynamics in natural systems, shape the distribution of species and their ecological niche, and influence population dynamics, viability, and responses to environmental changes as well as ecosystem function. Apex predators, such as grey wolf (Canis lupus), play critical roles in ecosystems, but their diets can be influenced by human activities, also exacerbating human-wildlife conflicts. Accurate knowledge of diet composition and feeding behaviour of apex predators is therefore instrumental for effective management and implementation of conflict mitigation measures for conservation.
Using a DNA metabarcoding approach we investigated the diet of wolves in three European regions with differing socio-economic and environmental conditions: Alps in Slovenia, the Dinaric region in Croatia, and the Oder Delta across Germany and Poland. Faecal samples (n = 70, 60, and 78, respectively) collected in 2019-2024 were analysed using a metabarcode marker to identify vertebrate/mammalian prey. Results revealed clear spatial patterns in diet composition driven by prey availability. Wild ungulates, particularly red deer (Cervus elaphus) and European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), emerged as primary prey across all regions, reflecting known preference by wolves when available. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) was also frequently detected, especially in Croatia, in areas where the preferred natural prey abundance declined. Occurrence of domestic animals (e.g. cattle, goat, sheep) in the samples was generally low, but increased with higher incidence of human presence and activities. In addition, the same DNA extracts processed for diet analysis were also used for individual genotyping with potential for deciphering individual feeding habits, but also providing an example of cost-effective use of faecal samples typically collected in genetic monitoring programs for multiple purposes.
This study provides high-resolution dietary data and a deeper understanding of the ecological role of wolves important for informing management in different parts of Europe. It also demonstrates the power of DNA metabarcoding for efficient non-invasive diet assessment which is crucial for enabling large scale ecological studies, such as to explore spatiotemporal variation in diet through environmental gradients or as a consequence of anthropogenic activities and global changes, ultimately enhancing future conservation efforts.
Dolphin, Jeff1*; Mazzamuto, Maria Vittoria1,2; Gansukh, Sukhchuluun3; Koprowski, John L.1,4
1 University of Wyoming, Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Laramie, WY, USA
2 University of Turin, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Turin, Italy
3 Institute of Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
4 University of Arizona, School of Environment and Natural Resources, Tucson, AZ, USA
* jdolphin24@icloud.com
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.038
Mongolia's deep-rooted tradition of pastoralism, tracing back over 5,500 years, reflects a resilient bond with its vast landscapes and wildlife. This connection plays a critical role in the coexistence of livestock and predators, shaping strategies to protect herds from threats across Mongolia’s expansive steppe. As of 2024, Mongolia's population of 3.5 million supports approximately 64 million livestock, with herding sustaining over a third of the nation’s workforce. Wolves, which account for an estimated 15,000 livestock losses each year, are classified as near-threatened in Mongolia due to overharvest, often related to international trade. However, they present a major challenge for rural communities. Distinct from other regions, Mongolia has no formal compensation programs for depredation losses, pressing herders to rely on self-devised methods of prevention.
From 2022 to 2024, we conducted surveys with livestock owners in proximity to Bogd Khan Mountain, one of the oldest protected areas in the world, and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. We evaluated the impacts of wolves on herders and the adaptive strategies they employ. Additionally, we conducted a camera trap survey within the protected area to examine the abundance and activity of wolves in relation to livestock (horses and cattle) and natural prey (wapiti and Siberian roe deer).
Our findings indicated that wolf abundance was not related to the number of livestock present; in fact, there was low temporal overlap with cows and moderate overlap with horses. Instead, the abundance of wolves was positively associated with the availability of natural prey. Moreover, the activity of wolves showed higher overlap with that of natural prey compared to livestock, displaying similar patterns with two activity peaks occurring at dawn and dusk. The results of the herders’ survey revealed a variety of approaches to managing wolves and herds. These included rotational grazing, the use of guard dogs, and culturally significant methods such as traditional wolf hunting. Additionally, the sociodemographic characteristics of the interviewees influenced their perceptions of wolves and their herd management strategies. This study reveals the complexities of balancing traditional practices with emerging ecological pressures, demonstrating how Mongolia’s pastoral communities navigate predator coexistence amid modern economic and environmental challenges. These findings offer valuable insights into community-driven conservation practices in pastoral landscapes of countries with an emerging economy.
Presetnik, Primož1*; Zamolo, Aja1; Erbida, Nina1; Trošt, Tadeja1
1 Centre for Cartography of Fauna and Flora, Ljubljana office, Ljubljana-Šentvid, Slovenia
* primoz.presetnik@ckff.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.040
Castles, churches and other buildings of cultural heritage (BCH) play an essential role for a number of bat species across Europe. Maintaining bat roosts in such manmade structures is a very specific conservation problem, as owners or managers of BCH need to be persuaded to accept bats in their buildings, mostly in connection with the additional workload caused by cleaning bat guano. Addressing this problem is one of the focuses of the LIFE integrated project for enhanced management of Natura 2000 in Slovenia (LIFE-IP NATURA.SI). As a strong scientific basis is an integral part of nature conservation communication, we have analysed data on the presence of bats in BCH in Slovenia (an area of 20,271 km2 or about 250×150 km).
Over the last two decades, more than 1,700 BCHs were surveyed. Bats or evidence of their presence were found in 80% of them, i.e. in 1,350 churches and 44 castles. Of the 32 bats species present in Slovenia, 23 were recorded and, to our knowledge, BCH are crucial roosts for 10 bat species (Rhinolophus hipposideros, R. ferrumequinum, R. euryale, Myotis myotis, M. blythii, M. emarginatus, Plecotus macrobullaris, P. austriacus, Miniopterus schreibersii). All these bat species and their habitats are protected and classified as endangered or vulnerable in the Slovenian Red List. Maternity roosts were confirmed in 631 BCH (37%), and as more than one bat species may use the same building, 780 nursery groups were recorded. Groups of bats usually consisted of less than 100 adults; however, exceptionally (in 14 buildings) there were more than 500 or even more than 2,000 adults present. The second part of the project was a survey of over 400 bat roosts in the BCH, where we recorded details of the microlocation and amount of bat guano in the BCH and interviewed their managers on the subject. The third part of the project involved small-scale improvements to selected bat roosts to test the effectiveness of some technical measures regarding limiting bat guano loads. Finally, we will discuss long-term options to help BCH managers maintain peaceful coexistence with bats.
Göbel, Florian1*; Esther, Alexandra1
1 Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) – Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Braunschweig, Germany
* florian.goebel@julius-kuehn.de
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.041
Bird damage remains an important and unresolved issue in plant protection. While scientific evidence on the extent of damage caused by bird feeding and droppings is limited, numerous reports from vegetable producers highlight the severity of the problem, raising concerns about the economic viability of certain crops. Additionally, wild birds pose health risks by transmitting pathogens such as Salmonella through faeces to humans and animals, creating potential dangers for both producers and consumers beyond mere aesthetic concerns. Despite its relevance to vegetable farming, there is a lack of comprehensive insights into effective and economically viable protection measures against bird damage. The ProVeBirD project aims to identify potential losses in major and specialty crops while developing a practical guide for organic vegetable farming systems.
We conducted a survey of German farmers which revealed that bird feeding affected all types of vegetables, particularly leaf, root, tuber, and fruit vegetables. Crows (Corvidae) were identified as the most damaging bird family, followed by pigeons (Columbidae) and geese (Anatidae). Average damages per crop and farm site were estimated at approximately 20%. Nearly half of the participants reported their losses as significant or very significant, with almost two-thirds noting a negative trend, i.e. increasing damages over recent years. Most farmers were unaware of the effectiveness of countermeasures; however, many reported successes with hunting, protective nets, and acoustic methods such as propane cannons or distress calls, while traditional scarecrows were largely considered ineffective. These results build the basis for the next ongoing project phase in which we conduct field trials to test the effectiveness of several protective measures for vegetables against bird damage.
The project is supported by funds of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) based on a decision of the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany via the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) under the Federal Programme for Ecological Farming and other Forms of Sustainable Agriculture.
Habituation of pigeons to hawk’s presence during the control programs in urban areas
Buet, Anja1; Reindl, Branimir2*; Bujanić, Miljenko1; Konjević, Dean1
1 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
2 Wilderness Research and Management j.d.o.o., Novoselec, Croatia
* branimir.re@gmail.com
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.042
The increasing populations of pigeons (Columba livia) in urban areas represents a growing problem from the perspective of public health and potential contamination and damages of buildings, monuments, etc. The aim of the study was to analyse and observe the effect of using trained raptors on the population of urban pigeons at the factory Valipile in Dumovec, Zagrebačka county, Croatia. One of the main concerns was possible contamination of poultry feed by pigeon droppings and consequent transmission of pathogens into the production. The study was divided in three phases, during September and October 2024. Phase one included monitoring of undisturbed pigeons and crows in the area, for eight days. In the phase two, raptors (i.e., Harris’s hawks [Parabuteo unicinctus]) were released four times (2x2) with varying intervals. There was a 5-day interval between two raptors flights. The third phase started five days after the second one and included four ousterings. Intervals between first and second, and third and fourth one was one day, while the interval between second and third one was seven days. The presence of pigeons was monitored non-invasively using three photo-traps.
In the first phase, we observed high numbers of pigeons from the morning until midday (8 a.m. till 1 p.m.). Pigeons were more present at the factory in October, probably due to the arrival of the harvested corn and pigeon preparations for winter. During the second phase of the study, after each hawk´ flight a sharp decline in pigeon numbers was observed but the following day pigeons returned in ˝normal˝ numbers. In the first part of the third phase, hawks have induced decline in pigeon numbers during the flight day, while in the second part this decline was observed only a day after. During the third phase of the research, it was observed that during the hawks’ presence pigeons used to take a so-called safety zone, keeping at a safe distance from the hawk, but remaining at the study site. The results of the study point to the habituation of pigeons to the presence of raptors. It was confirmed that falconry alone is not efficient enough for a longer period and should be complemented with other methods of bird control.
Kövér, László1*
1 University of Debrecen, Department of Nature Conservation Zoology and Game Management, Debrecen, Hungary
* koverl@agr.unideb.hu
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.002
The family of Corvidae (crows, choughs, jackdaws, jays, magpies, nutcrackers, ravens, rooks, treepies) is one of the most widespread bird groups globally. Corvids are highly adaptable and appear in a wide range of habitats: through forests, to the mountains, across open fields, as well as in urban environments. Their exceptional intelligence and versatility allow them to survive and succeed in such diverse conditions. From a human perspective, crows could be evaluated in different ways, depending on cultural context, judgments related to agriculture, nature conservation, and wildlife management, not to mention the general human attitude. We can mention several pest species that are being controlled or reduced in various ways. But there are also some endangered species as well. For instance, the Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis) has already gone extinct in the wild, and huge amounts of money are being spent in attempts to save it. On the contrary, we hear the most and most often about species considered problematic/conflict, especially from urban environments. Nearly a quarter of Corvidae (30 species) regularly occur in urban environments. Crows have colonized and spread across many European cities in recent decades. They are often considered pests due to their noise, litter-spilling, predation on urban bird species, and aggression toward humans and domestic animals. Consequently, the control and management of crow populations have become necessary in many cases. This is the purpose of urban wildlife management, which is aimed at managing wildlife species occurring in cities. Its tasks include conducting various types of research, resolving conflicts between humans and animals, and educating people about urban species and how to coexist with them. During the presentation, the audience will get a general overview of human-crow conflicts, primarily in urban environments, and two specific case studies (from Europe and Africa) will also be presented.
Mysterud, Atle1*
1 University of Oslo, Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Oslo, Norway
* atle.mysterud@ibv.uio.no
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.004
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious prion disease of cervids, and groups with diseases like bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle, scrapie in sheep, and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans. CWD was first diagnosed in deer in 1967 in Colorado, USA, and has spread to 35 states in USA and 4 provinces of Canada infecting mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), elk (Cervus canadensis), and moose (Alces alces). The first detected case of CWD in Europe was in 2016 in a wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Norway. With onset of surveillance in Europe, a novel type of sporadic CWD, termed sCWD, was detected in moose and red deer (Cervus elaphus), but is not contagious and hence does not require hunting management. Prion diseases are invariably fatal, and there are no vaccines or treatments available. Contagious CWD has a long incubation period, where infected animals shed prions into the environment. Prevalence has reached high levels and led to deer population declines in North America. Hunting or culling is the main way to control CWD. Overall high harvest rate can limit CWD by shortening the infectious period and through other mechanisms.
Here, I review the main hunting strategies as part of CWD management: (i) depopulation, (ii) spatially targeted harvesting (around CWD cases), and (iii) male-biased harvesting. Other strategies have limited efficiency (e.g. targeting clinical suspects) or limited applicability (e.g. capture-test-and-cull), while the effect of density reduction per see remains uncertain. The success of each strategy depends on the species (level of site fidelity), habitat (open, forest), and population demarcation (open, closed). Achieving high harvest rates with recreational hunters only is challenging, and frequently requires the use of marksmen. Hence, success in limiting CWD strongly depends on the level of governmental involvement and public acceptance or resistance. I discuss the dynamic relationship between harvest rate to limit CWD and surveillance, and highlight the importance of pre-emptive culling, i.e., increased harvest before the first detection.
Illanas, Sonia1; Fernández-López, Javier1,2; Vicente Baños, Joaquin1; Ruiz-Rodríguez, Carmen1; López-Padilla, Sergio1; Sebastián-Pardo, Mario1; Preite, Ludovica1,3; Gómez-Molina, Azahara1; Acevedo, Pelayo1; Blanco-Aguiar, José Antonio1*
1 Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), Ciudad Real, Spain
2 Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
3 European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Parma, Italy
* joseantonio.blanco@uclm.es
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.043
Biodiversity data are essential for wildlife management and conservation. The open access to standardized information on wildlife distribution and abundance, and more generally, biodiversity, favour the use of large databases to generate new research at large scales (but also locally) that otherwise would not be possible. In addition to improving the quality of available data, data papers are key to adequately document data collection protocols and subsequent processing, facilitating the recognition of authors and data owners while dealing with limitations on data privacy.
We review the publication trends of data papers on vertebrates in Europe; as a case study, we present the reporting of hunting statistics of big game species in Spain, describing the procedures used to generate more than 1 million records. The datasets provide long-term information (2013-2022) of the only-presence of eight wild ungulates and red fox derived from harvest data in a grid of 5x5 km for mainland Spain (21,836 cells). The collected data are presented on a yearly basis as well as grouped into two monitoring periods. The spatial resolution (as well as the selection of the specific grid used) and periods match the characteristics of obligatory data reporting on biodiversity by countries to the EU, as required by the Habitats Directive. This case illustrates the utility of data papers to publicly provide information that subsequently can easily contribute to data reporting by countries, facilitating the early mobilization of data and reducing workload by national administrations (which often struggle to transfer complete and up to date quality data). We conclude that the publication of data papers by the scientific community following EU standards for biodiversity data reporting are set to become essential in the frame of future schemes of biodiversity monitoring in Europe, such as the proposed EU Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC). Finally, some proposals to encourage collaborative science and the reuse of biodiversity data are discussed.
Fernández-López, Javier1*; Blanco-Aguiar, José Antonio1; Vicente Baños, Joaquín1; Acevedo, Pelayo1
1 Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), Ciudad Real, Spain
* Javier.FLopez@uclm.es
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.044
Effective wildlife management and conservation require reliable information on species distribution and abundance. Here, we present a scalable and transferable methodology designed to capture the ecological and management heterogeneity of any study area, thereby optimizing wildlife monitoring programs. By delineating homogeneous sampling units based on key environmental and management factors, this approach enables focused monitoring in a strategically selected subset of areas ("observatories"), ensuring robust data collection while optimizing resource use. Our procedure consists of three stages. First, we apply multivariate techniques to assess the main environmental, management, or biodiversity patterns across the study area. Second, clustering methods are used to identify homogeneous regions or management units. Finally, optimization algorithms establish a network of well-distributed monitoring points to ensure a cost-effective solution. This structured, adaptable framework is highly applicable across regions and scales.
We tested this methodology in two real-world case studies: (i) a management network for game ungulates in Castilla-La Mancha, central Spain, and (ii) a national-scale monitoring program for wild mammals across Spain. In both cases, we first identified and categorized homogeneous ecological regions using climate and vegetation data. We then incorporated management characteristics within each region or biodiversity indices, such as species richness and rarity, to form a network of representative observatories. This approach enables targeted data collection from a limited number of strategically distributed sites, capturing population trends and biodiversity metrics across broader areas. Our stratified, observatory-based framework provides a flexible and cost-effective solution adaptable to multiple species and regions globally. This protocol is well-suited to guiding wildlife management decisions at local, regional, and national levels, maximizing efficiency and representativity across diverse ecological contexts.
Massei, Giovanna1*; Gordon, Iain J.2-5; Wimpenny, Claire6; Manning, Adrian D.2
1 Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control, Department of Environment & Geography, University of York, York, UK
2 The Australian National University, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Acton, Australia
3 The James Hutton Institute, Dundee, UK
4 Central Queensland University, Townsville, Australia
5 James Cook University, College of Science and Engineering, Townsville, Australia
6 Office of Nature Conservation, ACT Government, Dickson, Australia
* GMassei@botstiber.org
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.045
Rewilding is becoming a mainstream approach to ecosystem restoration. Most rewilding projects include populations of large free-roaming herbivores that can grow fast. As this growth can undermine long-term rewilding goals, there is a pressing need to consider if, when, and how to intervene in the management of large herbivore populations during the rewilding process. In parallel, there is growing demand for non-lethal population management options. We will examine how “no intervention” as well as four types of nature-mimicking interventions could be applied to rewilding processes. ‘No intervention’ influences some of the natural processes that govern herbivore population size and distribution. Where top-down processes are absent, bottom-up processes will eventually predominate and often result in starvation and ultimately death. This impacts animal welfare, public trust and risks ecosystem degradation. Culling mimics the effects of emigration, predation, and disease and affects animal behaviour. Interventions that mimic the presence of predators can be used to create landscapes of fear: anti-predator behaviour can affect ecosystem structure, composition, function, and restoration. Translocation can have the same effect of culling and fertility control but also increased risk of disease transmission, and significant welfare costs. Fertility control is achieved via surgical sterilisation, hormonal implants, and injectable contraceptive vaccines. Fertility control mimics the outcome from predation, disease, and density dependent effects that lower birth rate and can reduce costs, negative welfare issues, and increase public support for rewilding. No single intervention is likely to work alone, and regimes combining different interventions will be needed throughout the rewilding process. We will explore examples of these interventions to reduce environmental, economic, animal welfare, social and cultural impacts, and crucially contribute to maintaining local support for rewilding projects.
Fattorini, Niccolò1,2*; Bonari, Gianmaria1,2; Fini, Giovanni1,2; Angiolini, Claudia1,2; Ferretti, Francesco1,2
1 University of Siena, Department of Life Sciences, Siena, Italy
2 National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
* niccolo.fattorini@unisi.it
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.046
Herbivory by wild ungulates may trigger significant impacts on vegetation, and recent studies suggest scale-dependent effects of population density. Yet, there is no agreement on whether impacts should be related to densities and about the scale of effect. Gaining knowledge on such issues would be crucial to target the appropriate spatial scale over which effective ungulate management should be conducted. Additionally, deer browsing pressure in Mediterranean forests has been understudied compared to temperate forests. During 2019-2023, we investigated whether multi-scale, spatiotemporal variations in densities of introduced fallow deer (Dama dama) and native European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) drove the browsing impact on forest vegetation, within a Mediterranean protected area.
We found no effect of deer densities on browsing at the finest, sampling plot-scale. Higher browsing pressure was associated with greater fallow deer densities at both the home range and study area scales, but not with roe deer densities. We obtained the same results when considering browsing pressure on forest patches as a whole and separately on the dominant woody plants in the study area (Quercus ilex; Phillyrea spp.). Browsing indices decreased by 75% in 2019-2023, matching the steady decline in fallow deer population density (─25%). Throughout the study period, fallow deer density in any year was unrelated to relevant culling pressure in the previous year. Conversely, the decreased fallow deer density was related to the increased grey wolf (Canis lupus) numbers (for which the fallow deer is a major prey), suggesting consumptive effects by predators achieving top-down control of deer impact on vegetation.
Our study offers practical insights into population monitoring and management of wild ungulates, as well as their impact on natural ecosystems. First, we showed how the population density of the introduced deer species –but not that of the native one– was related to browsing impact on forest vegetation. Hence, browsing pressure by wild ungulates can be used as a surrogate for monitoring spatiotemporal variations in population densities, although we suggest caution in contexts with co-occurring species, as not all of them have the same impact. Moreover, this finding emphasises the major role of introduced ungulates in eliciting impacts on natural habitats, advocating proper management actions. Second, we identified the spatial scales at which deer densities would be more likely to impact forest vegetation. Third, we showed a potential example of recolonizing predators helping in the control of both ungulate densities and, as a consequence, their impacts on ecosystems.
Tóth, Gergely1*; Katona, Krisztián1
1 Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Institute for Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation, Department of Wildlife Biology and Management, Gödöllő, Hungary
* tothgergely0148@gmail.com
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.047
Monitoring population density of game populations is a basic task for game managers. However, it is not easy to find a relatively cost-effective, simple method which can be used widely among practitioners. European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) populations have been increasing in Europe (also in Hungary) in the last decades. However, game managers rarely perform reliable counts of their populations, which leads to the underestimation of their population size and under-harvesting of the species, causing the wastage of important natural resources. Therefore, our aim was to identify the most suitable, cost-effective technique for roe deer density estimation in Hungary, where the species mainly occupies the lowland, sparsely forested, high-visibility flat areas.
We compared the census data obtained by: (i) the total counting in the daytime strip transect, (ii) the night spotlight strip transect, and (iii) the total counting of the sample areas with thermal camera from observation points within 0-250 m and 0-500 m ranges. The study was carried out in seven hunting areas. Our results supported the underestimation of roe deer populations obtained by classic methods. We revealed that using the thermal camera within 0-250 m and the spotlight method in the same range gave the statistically highest population density values without significant difference between them. The lowest mean value was obtained in case of the daytime strip transect, which results in underestimation of the population density in all cases. The thermal imaging method gave significantly lower values for the larger distance (250-500 m) than for the range of spotlighting (250 m). The night spotlight strip transect method and the counting from observation points with a thermal camera, both to 250 m, provided the highest values, thus they are recommended to be used for determining roe deer population density in open flat areas. Although they require a comparable amount of human resources and time, the spotlight method is well-suited for widespread use by wildlife managers due to the high costs of thermal cameras.
Gačić, Dragan1*; Mladenović, Slavko2; Hadži-Pavlović, Mihajlo1
1 University of Belgrade, Faculty of Forestry, Belgrade, Serbia
2 Ministry of Environmental Protection, Sector for Supervision and Preventive Action, Belgrade, Serbia
* dragan.gacic@sfb.bg.ac.rs
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.048
Reintroduction of red deer (Cervus elpahus) into the forest complexes of Eastern Serbia began in 1960, while the Đerdap hunting ground was established in 1990, and its border coincides with the border of the Đerdap National Park established in 1974. This hunting ground comprises a narrow-forested belt of irregular shape along the Danube (total area 63,730 ha, length 100 km, width from 2 to 8 km), located at an altitude of 63 to 803 m. The hunting-productive area for red deer covers 20,000 ha, and its estimated number was 360 individuals in spring 2024 (sex ratio approx. 1:1).
The aim of this study was to analyse the development dynamics of the newly established red deer population in the wider Đerdap area (period 1960-2020), focusing on the trophy structure and age of individuals hunted in the Đerdap area in two periods: 1993-2002 (54 trophies) and 2007-2020 (73 trophies), respectively. The age was estimated by the skilled commissions based on the tooth wear. The trophies were evaluated according to the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) method. Each parameter was analysed using descriptive statistics by determining the range of variation, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation. A simple regression analysis was used to establish a correlation between the antler parameters and the age of the individual. In addition, relevant information was collected from annual and long-term hunting ground management plans and from records of works carried out in each hunting year. In 2017 and 2018, intensive field research was carried out as a part of the SRBREDDEER project, funded by the Forest Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republic of Serbia.
Reintroduction of red deer in the wider Đerdap area was very successful. The first period (1993-2002) was not favourable for planned and rational wildlife management due to the economic crisis caused by international sanctions and armed conflicts during 1990s. The second period was more favourable, especially in the last three analysed years (2018-2020). Red deer losses recorded in the first period were significantly higher, mainly due to poaching and predation by wolves. Between both periods, there was neither statistically significant difference in the mean trophy score (167.1 vs. 167.8 CIC points) nor in the mean age of stags hunted (7.0 vs. 6.9 years). In both periods, there was a large proportion of middle-aged individuals in the harvest (age class 5-8 years), especially in the second period. The trophy structure in these periods was: gold (7.4% vs. 1.4%), silver (11.1% vs. 26.0%), and bronze medal (31.5% vs. 23.3%). The proportion of antlers without a medal was the same in both periods (around 50%). The highest red deer trophy score in the Đerdap hunting ground was 232.1 CIC points (13-year-old individual). The basic recommendations for improving the current state of the red deer population are: (i) the formation of a hunting and breeding area and the implementation of unique objectives and breeding measures by all users of hunting grounds (i.e., both hunting associations and public enterprises); and (ii) enabling quality red deer males to reach at least 11-12 years of age.
August, Katherine1*; Beatham, Sarah2; Birtles, Richard3; Bray, Daniel1; Broadhurst, Holly3; Croft, Simon2; Marshall, Harry4; Massei, Giovanna5; Orchard, Rachel4; Parkes-Withers, Amy2; Belmain, Steven1
1 University of Greenwich, Natural Resources Institute, Medway, UK
2 Animal and Plant Health Agency, York, UK
3 University of Salford, School of Science, Engineering & Environment, Salford, UK
4 Forest Research, Edinburgh, UK
5 University of York, Department of Environment & Geography, York, UK
* katie.august@greenwich.ac.uk
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.062
Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is an invasive species in the UK which threatens plants through bark stripping and wildlife through disease transmission and competition. Grey squirrels are also of growing relevance to human health as reservoir hosts of both Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, and Ixodes ricinus, the tick vector which feeds on a range of animal species and people. Current strategies to manage grey squirrel populations require intense trapping and/or shooting. The potential of fertility control to reduce grey squirrel populations has not been tested. While fertility control may have a slower impact on population density, it would alter the age ratio in the population to reduce numbers of juvenile squirrels which are more likely to disperse and transmit pathogens and ticks than adults. In this project, we are comparing the potential efficacy of fertility and traditional control methods in isolated woodlands in Cumbria, UK. We estimated grey squirrel and tick densities before and after three culling treatments: no cull, full traditional cull, and a simulated fertility treatment cull whereby only juvenile squirrels are removed from the population. Ticks will be tested for pathogen presence and blood meal analysis performed to assess the host species being fed upon. Based on the results we will model the effectiveness of fertility control and culling in reducing the risk of Lyme’s disease.
Ham, Cally1*; Scopes, Ellie2; Pickering, Mark3; Gill, Robin1
1 Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, UK
2 Forest Research, Forestry Commission National Office, Bristol, UK
3 University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
* cally.ham@forestresearch.gov.uk
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.063
Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is a non-native, invasive species threatening the health, resilience and economic viability of broadleaf woodlands throughout England, Wales, and southern Scotland. The impacts of grey squirrel bark-stripping is estimated to cost £37 million per year in lost timber quality and reduced carbon sequestration with unquantified damage to native biodiversity and woodland function. To date, the only method of controlling grey squirrel damage within woodlands is through lethal population control which is expensive and time consuming. Due to grey squirrel high fecundity and mobility the population is quick to recover following culls through migration and increased birth rate. As squirrel control resources are limited, there is a need for woodland managers to prioritise areas to target their efforts.
We present two novel methods that could aid prioritisation of squirrel control. Firstly, the use of UAV-based sensors to locate and identify signs of canopy damage during the summer season, when ground-based damage assessments are difficult due to leaf cover. And secondly, the use of predictive models to identify when food availability, in the form of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) seed, might be high and therefore enable an increase in squirrel population density. We found that UAV-based sensors can detect signals of canopy damage and that these can be identified using machine learning processes. We also found that there is a detectable increase in squirrel numbers recorded in the year following high beech seed availability. Future work will focus on developing a predictive tool to be used by forest managers to identify when and where to target their squirrel control efforts.
Bisi, Francesco1*; Santicchia, Francesca1; Panzeri, Mattia1; Tranquillo, Claudia1; Panebianco, Matteo1; Sclip, Alessandro1; Grespan, Pietro1; Tortini, Alessia1; Bertolino, Sandro2; La Morgia, Valentina3; Paoloni, Daniele4; Marsan, Andrea5; Preatoni, Damiano1; Wauters, Lucas1; Martinoli, Adriano1; Mazzamuto, Maria Vittoria2
1 Università degli Studi dell’Insubria, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Varese, Italy
2 Università degli Studi di Torino, Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Torino, Italy
3 Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Ozzano dell’Emilia, Bologna, Italy
4 Istituto Oikos srl – Impresa sociale, Perugia, Italy
4 Universita` di Genova, Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences, Genova, Italy
* francesco.bisi@uninsubria.it
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.064
Invasive alien squirrels, particularly the Eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and Pallas’s squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus), are significantly impacting Italy's ecosystems, threatening native species such as the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) through competition for trophic resources and habitat. In southern Italy, the variable squirrel (C. finlaysonii) is also spreading and likely beginning to overlap with the endemic S. meridionalis. In response, Italy has implemented diverse control strategies across different regions aligned with EU Regulation 1143/2014 to curb the spread of these invasive species. In urban parks, small populations have been managed successfully through capture, sterilization, and release (Liguria, western Italy), while urban to rural populations have been controlled using trapping and removal methods (Umbria, central Italy). Early intervention in these regions has led to effective eradication. In areas with larger, more established populations, such as in Piedmont and parts of Lombardy, north-west Italy, lethal removal methods involving capture and euthanasia with CO₂ have been employed. A control plan based on the same methods is currently underway to manage the variable squirrel in parts of its range in Basilicata (southern Italy). Additionally, at the Italian-Swiss border, the population of Pallas’s squirrel is being managed using a combination of trapping and culling as part of an integrated strategy. Integrated strategies combining varying degrees of three main removal methods—capture followed by euthanasia, capture followed by surgical sterilization, and culling—are also being adopted to manage and potentially eradicate new grey squirrel outbreaks following early warning reports scattered throughout Italy.
These efforts demonstrate that early and continuous intervention is key to successful eradication, while delayed or sporadic actions are bound to fail, having escalating costs and impact on both biodiversity and financial resources. The Italian case highlights the necessity of a multifaceted approach to invasive squirrel management to safeguard native biodiversity and protect vulnerable native populations.
Mori, Emiliano1,2*; Paletto, Alessandro3; Ancillotto, Leonardo1,2; Lagrotteria, Alessandro1,4; De Meo, Isabella5; Viviano, Andrea1; Simoncini, Andrea6; Menchetti, Mattia7; Mazza, Giuseppe8; Falaschi, Mattia6
1 Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri IRET, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Florence, Italy
2 National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
3 Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Trento, Italy
4 University of Turin, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, Turin, Italy
5 Research Centre for Agriculture and Environment, Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Firenze, Italy
6 Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Milan, Italy
7 CSIC-Univ. Pompeu Fabra, Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Barcelona, Spain
8 CREA Research Centre for Plant Protection and Certification (CREA DC), Cascine del Riccio, Florence, Italy
* emiliano.mori@cnr.it
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.065
Invasive alien species listed in the Annex of the EU Regulation 1143/2014 should be rapidly detected and, whenever possible, eradicated, given their strong impacts on native biodiversity, ecosystems, and health. However, assessing distribution, social perception towards these species and possible corridors for range expansion is decisive for successful management actions. Amongst invasive species of European concern, the Northern raccoon (Procyon lotor) has been present with a free-ranging population in central Italy since 2013, following the escape of some individuals from an enclosed area. Since then, the presence of these animals has persisted outside the protected area. The unmistakable characteristics of raccoon, such as its distinctive face mask and ring-tail pattern, make it highly recognizable and highly recorded on citizen-science platforms.
We used a citizen-science, photo-based approach to redefine the distribution of the Northern raccoon in Italy and we developed a standardised questionnaire to test for social perception towards this species. For a management proposal, habitat suitability and connectivity models were run to unveil the expansion history of this invasive species. We collected 61 raccoon occurrences, showing a remarkable range expansion of the species in central Italy, mostly southwards with respect to the introduction site. Moreover, we detected a high public appreciation on over 1000 questionnaires, which highlights the importance of a good communication campaign to enhance the success of removal programmes. To conclude, we showed a high environmental suitability for the raccoon in Europe, which is in line with its generalist behaviour in terms of habitat use. These results underscore the importance of implementing comprehensive removal programs and public outreach initiatives to mitigate the negative impacts of this invasive species.
Martini, Matilde1*; Tuti, Marco1; Ghinassi, Giulia1; Cappai, Nadia2; Franco, Alessandro3; Zaccaroni, Marco4; Ponzetta, Maria Paola1; Ferretti, Marco5; Mattioli, Luca5; Romeo, Giorgia5; Mazzarone, Vito5; Lenuzza, Andrea5; Merli, Federico5; Bertolucci, Antonio5; Panicucci, Alberto5; Muzzi, Roberta5; Conti, Leonardo1; Becciolini, Valentina1; Sottili, Caterina1; Santini, Giacomo4; Bozzi, Riccardo1
1 University of Florence, Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), Florence, Italy
2 Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona e Campigna National Park, Pratovecchio Stia, Italy
3 Biologist freelance, Italy
4 University of Florence, Department of Biology, Florence, Italy
5 Tuscany Region, Wildlife Department, Florence, Italy
* matilde.martini@unifi.it
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.066
Invasive alien species (IAS) are a major global threat to ecosystems, disrupting biodiversity and ecosystem functions and contributing significantly to biodiversity loss. Human activities have driven the spread of species beyond their native ranges, increasing introductions worldwide. Raccoon (Procyon lotor), an opportunistic mesopredator native to Central America, the United States, and southern Canada, was introduced to Tuscany through the accidental release from a local zoo, near the border of Foreste Casentinesi National Park. Known for its adaptability, raccoon can modify its behaviour and diet in response to local conditions, enabling it to thrive in various habitats, from human-modified landscapes to natural areas. In Tuscany, it has established a stable population, with predation as the primary impact on native species.
Our study aimed to assess the influence of landscape and fine-scale characteristics on raccoon distribution in Tuscany and create dispersal maps to forecast potential expansion into nearby regions. According to the Italian National Management Plan of the Raccoon, we stratified our study area based on proximity to water sources. We divided the territory into 2.5 x 2.5 km cells and randomly selected trap points along streams or rivers within each cell. Camera traps were deployed starting in June 2024, with sampling planned to continue through 2025. Landscape characteristics were calculated within a buffer around each sampling point, an area equivalent to the average home range size observed for male raccoons from data collected outside their native range. Similarly, fine-scale characteristics were assessed within a buffer corresponding to an average size of male racoon core area. We will present results from the first year of monitoring, providing a comprehensive analysis of the ecological factors that shape raccoon distribution, allowing us to explore how landscape features and habitat characteristics influence their presence and potential expansion in Tuscany. By assessing these dynamics, we can better provide the species' likelihood of colonizing new areas and better manage its spread in non-native areas.
Larroux, Nicola1*; Gagliardi, Alessandra2; Volponi, Stefano3; Tenan, Simone4; Preatoni, Damiano1; Martinoli, Adriano1
1 Università degli Studi dell’Insubria, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Varese, Italy
2 Istituto Oikos ETS, Italy
3 Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Italy
4 National Research Council, Institute of Marine Sciences (CNR-ISMAR), Italy
* nlarroux@studenti.uninsubria.it
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.067
Sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) has been listed as an invasive alien species of European concern since 2016. Despite clear management responsibilities, actual knowledge of its impacts is still dubious and fragmented. Due to delayed management measures adopted in Italy, sacred ibis populations have grown largely undisturbed since the 2000s, now providing a unique opportunity to examine the consequences beyond the early stages of invasion. Breeding ecology of the species in the Italian nesting core area (Po plain) has been studied. Moreover, interactions with the native fauna were assessed within the mixed heronries colonies, where sacred ibis breeds in proximity of protected species, through the use of various monitoring techniques.
Direct observations and camera trap footage show that sacred ibis has no interest in preying neither eggs nor nestlings of neighbouring colonial species. Experiments with artificial nests containing various egg types provided analogous results. Sacred ibis displayed only partially hostile behaviour, limited to stealing nest material from nearby herons. Additionally, ground-nesting sacred ibises suffered high levels of predation by other birds (e.g. jackdaw, herring gull) and mammals (e.g. red fox, European badger). Overall, this study does not support the alleged role of sacred ibis as an invasive predator, which has been however proven elsewhere (France).
Beatham, Sarah1*; Thomas, Erin1; Henderson, Dan1; Cunningham, Eloise1; Smith, Graham1
1 Animal and Plant Health Agency, Sand Hutton, York, UK
* sarah.beatham@apha.gov.uk
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.049
Wild boar has negative effects on the environment, economy, and poses health risks to both livestock and humans. In Europe, the increasing spread of African swine fever among populations of wild boar and domestic pigs is currently a significant concern. To effectively model epidemiology and develop appropriate contingency plans, it is essential to gather accurate data regarding the distribution, movement patterns, and population densities of wild mammals. The methods employed for data collection must be practical, timely, and cost-effective. Recent technological advancements have broadened the range of available methods, which need to be evaluated to determine the most suitable option for the species, environment and objectives concerned. Here we present a comparison of results from trials conducted on three distinct wild boar populations in the UK, utilizing techniques such as thermal imaging, distance sampling, thermal drones, the Random Encounter Model with camera traps, and acoustic monitoring. The calculated wild boar densities across the various sites were found to be comparable among the different methods employed; however, each method had unique advantages and disadvantages, which are discussed in relation to their applicability to different species, environments, and study objectives.
Skrbinšek, Tomaž1,2*; Bartol, Matej3; Boljte, Barbara1; Hrga, Nuša1; Hvala, Tilen3,4; Majić Skrbinšek, Aleksandra1,2; Pazhenkova, Elena1,2; Predalič, Miha3; Simčič, Gregor1; Konec, Marjeta1,2
1 DivjaLabs Ltd., Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia
3 Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana, Slovenia
4 Slovenian Hunting Association, Ljubljana, Slovenia
* tomaz.skrbinsek@bf.uni-lj.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.050
For many wildlife species, genetic monitoring is the only approach that can provide robust and precise tracking of population abundance, although its practical application can be challenging. In Slovenia, we have developed and implemented genetic monitoring tools over the past two decades to track brown bear population at the national level. Following a pilot study in 2004, a national-level sampling in 2007 established the value of genetic monitoring. Since then, it has become an essential part of brown bear management in Slovenia, with samplings conducted every eight years using the citizen-science approach. The methods were constantly improved to take advantage of the rapid development of molecular genetics, and results are carefully and thoroughly provided to all stakeholders and participants.
In the autumn of 2023, during the third monitoring session, we collected an impressive 2,864 non-invasive genetic samples over three months, surpassing our target of 2,500. The majority of samples were collected by hunters and foresters. We genotyped 2,500 samples, achieving a 70% genotyping success rate. Genotyping using high-throughput sequencing enabled rapid and cost-effective analysis, with laboratory work and genotyping completed within eight months of sampling. The entire study was finalized and reported within ten months of completed sampling.
We documented continued population growth, a further expansion of the species towards the Alps, and a sex ratio similar to previous surveys (61.7% of females). The capture-mark-recapture estimated minimum annual population size at the end of 2023 (after annual mortality but before reproduction) was 739 individuals (ranging from 695 to 797). As the registered mortality in 2023 was 264 individuals, we can add that figure to estimate the maximum annual population size in spring 2023, i.e., at 1001 bears (957 – 1061).
The Slovenian brown bear monitoring program exemplifies a successful transition from a scientific pilot study to a well-established and cost-effective routine monitoring, crucial for the effective management and conservation of the species. The knowledge gained and methodology advancements can be applied to establish similar genetic monitoring programs for other populations and species.
Potočnik, Hubert1*; Črtalič, Jaka1; Pokorny, Boštjan2,3; Flajšman, Katarina3; Kos, Ivan1
1 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 Faculty of Environmental Protection, Velenje, Slovenia
3 Slovenian Forestry Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
* hubert.potocnik@bf.uni-lj.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.051
During the last decades, golden jackal (Canis aureus) population in South-eastern Europe has expanded across the Balkan Peninsula and also into Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe. The species is highly adapted to thrive in human-dominated landscapes where it takes advantage of human presence and a large amount of accessible food sources. These, together with changes in land use, prey/predator abundance and climate, have likely facilitated the expansion process. The spread of the jackal has raised numerous conservation and management issues, while the emerging ecological role of the species in the areas of recent range expansion is barely known. A similar trend has been also observed in Slovenia, which was confirmed by a rapid increase in the jackal distribution range and numbers. In 2004, the golden jackal became protected species in Slovenia. In 2014, however, the species was declared a game species, but at the same time remained on the list of protected species, which caused a legislative collision. Such status had disabled active management of the species. In order to gain basic knowledge about the population and provide the scientific background for appropriate management, a nationwide monitoring was established with the aim of determining the distribution, abundance, population trends, and potential expansion of the golden jackal in Slovenia, resulting in its removal from the list of protected species in 2019.
An important part of the monitoring is based on the integration of hunters –as very important citizen scientists– who are obliged to provide game monitoring as a public service. For this reason, new online monitoring module was developed which enabled instant recording of georeferenced signs of jackal presence of various types including photo-material and records from bioacoustic stimulation method (BAM), and harvest data have been included since 2020 when hunting of golden jackal was allowed for the first time. We developed an ad-hoc expert habitat suitability model for golden jackal in order to determine areas with intensive monitoring (including BAM sessions) versus less suitable areas with passive monitoring only. The first territorial group of jackals in Slovenia was confirmed in 2009, however in 2019 territorial response (howling) of jackals in 374 cells (3x3 km) were registered during the monitoring season. Sharp increase in abundance was also indicated with harvest data: 179 jackals were harvested in 2020, and this figure increased to 1086 harvested individuals in 2024, respectively. The jackal distribution range as a legally neo-native, newcomer predator overlaps with the ranges of two other native canid species, i.e., grey wolf (Canis lupus) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes). We examined the extent of spatial segregation between wolves and jackals and developed habitat suitability models for each species. All data on wolf's and jackal's distributions in Slovenia were collected from the national monitoring databases. For red fox, data on relative abundances were taken from the hunting records and compared to jackal distribution.
Scopes, Eleanor R.1*; MacPherson, Jenny2; Wright, Patrick G.R.2; McNicol, Catherine M.3; Kingscott-Edmunds, Jamie4; Kerecsenyi, Nora5; Guy, Matt6; Bellamy, Chloe C.5; Weaver, Josh6; Rae, Nicola5; A’Hara, Stuart5; Ham, Cally6
1 Forest Research, Forestry Commission National Office, Bristol, UK
2 Vincent Wildlife Trust, Eastnor, Ledbury, UK
3 British Association for Shooting and Conservation, Marford Mill, Wrexham, UK
4 Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Gloucester, UK
5 Forest Research, Northern Research Station, Roslin, UK
6 Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, UK
* ellie.scopes@forestresearch.gov.uk
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.052
In Britain, invasive grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) cause extensive damage by bark stripping, reducing the value of trees for forestry and broader ecosystem services. Due to these negative impacts and invasive status, widespread management and control is undertaken by landowners to reduce squirrel abundance, but this requires significant time, effort and monetary cost. The recovery of pine marten (Martes martes) in Britain may provide a natural solution to grey squirrel management, as has been evidenced in Ireland. Pine marten recovery has been supported with successful translocations from Scotland to England and Wales. Here, I will briefly report on the recovery of pine marten in Britain including new habitat suitability models showing important habitats and possible future release sites. I will then present the results of a DNA analysis of pine marten scats from across Britain, indicating the proportion of scats containing grey squirrel and others key species DNA. Finally, I will describe new evidence indicating the effects of predators, pine martens and goshawks (Accipiter gentilis), on grey squirrel damage and density.
Smith, Bethany R.1+; Kenup, Caio F.1+; Walsh, Katherine2; Haw, Kay3; Canessa, Stefano4,5; Ewen, John G.1
1 Zoological Society of London, Institute of Zoology, London, UK
2 Natural England, UK
3 UK Squirrel Accord, UK
4 University of Bern, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Bern, Switzerland
5 University of Milan, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Milan, Italy
* bethany.smith@ioz.ac.uk; caio.kenup@ioz.ac.uk
+ Authors should be considered as joint first authors with correspondence addressed to both
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.053
Red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) are an endangered native species in England that face multiple threats including competition with the invasive grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), the squirrelpox virus transmitted by grey squirrels, and habitat loss and degradation. Conservation actions are varied with some, primarily grey squirrel management, being less palatable to regional and national communities. Making decisions about how best to conserve red squirrels is, therefore, a complex task.
In this project, we used structured decision making to help develop a national recovery strategy for red squirrels in England. Structured decision making helps to methodically think through difficult decisions and allows for decisions to be informed by scientific evidence alongside the values and risk attitudes of the people involved. Through a series of workshops, we identified the core objectives that people want to achieve with a recovery plan; persistence of red squirrels in England whilst considering public support, animal welfare, wider ecosystem benefits, socioeconomic benefits, and the cost of any management. We then predicted the outcomes of different management strategies with regards to each objective. This included developing a spatially explicit population model of red squirrels and grey squirrels across England to predict the effects of the potential management actions on red squirrel recovery. This model considered how processes such as interspecific competition, squirrelpox epidemiology, and pine marten (Martes martes) predation affect squirrel population dynamics. We also conducted expert elicitation workshops to understand the impacts of each management strategy on squirrel welfare using a modified Sharp & Saunders approach to assessing the welfare implications of controlling pest species. As is common with competing objectives, there was no clear strategy that performed best for each objective. Consequently, we performed a trade-off analysis with the decision-maker. In this presentation, we will outline the structured decision-making process and its outcomes for this project, offering valuable insights for those tackling the complexities of vertebrate management.
Bjedov, Linda1*; Čuljak, Dora2; Huten, Tea3; Lugić, Edin5; Lisičić, Duje4; Boljfetić, Marko4; Petković, Monika2; Hamidović, Daniela6; Kryštufek, Boris7; Tvrtković, Nikola8
1 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Zagreb, Croatia
2 Oikon Ltd. - Institute of Applied Ecology, Zagreb, Croatia
3 Supernatural Ltd., Zagreb, Croatia
4 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Zagreb, Croatia
5 Elytron, Zagreb, Croatia
6 Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, Institute for Environment and Nature, Zagreb, Croatia
7 Slovenian Museum of Natural History, Ljubljana, Slovenia
8 Association Natura – Society for Nature Protection of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia
* lbjedov@sumfak.unizg.hr
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.054
In Croatia, there is a general lack of arboreal small mammal monitoring. This results in a deficiency of population as well as distribution data on arboreal dormice, making strategic planning and conservation measures almost impossible. As part of the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020, the Republic of Croatia implemented a national monitoring program for the forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) and the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius). Both species were categorized in the last Croatian Red List as Near Threatened (NT) and are included in Appendix IV of the EU Habitat Directive. Croatia is required to report every 6 years on the conservation status of these species. As part of the national monitoring project, various methods were tested and implemented, including live traps, nest boxes, camera trapping, and footprint tunnels. Camera trapping was tested across the entire known and potential distribution ranges for both species in selected 23 quadrants (10x10 km). Cameras were placed on trees with feeding platforms approximately 2 m above the ground and were deployed during the dormice active season from May to September. In each quadrant, ten cameras were placed in a transect, at least 300 m apart, and were recording for the following 10 days. Additionally, all four methods were tested in one quadrant where both dormice species occur, to test their efficiency. Cameras proved to be highly effective in detecting the presence of the target species as well as other two dormice species (Glis glis and Eliomys quercinus) present in Croatia.
Sage, Mickaël1,2*; Riehling, Philippe1; Hoffmann, Julien1
1 SECU-RAT & Faune INNOV’ R&D, Besançon, France
2 Faune INNOV’ R&D, Besançon, France
* m.sage@secu-rat.fr
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.068
Rodents pose a significant problem to society (e.g. zoonoses, severe property damage, food loss). Urban environment favours high population densities, especially of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus). Increasingly high infestation levels are observed, in particular where there is a high human presence (e.g. urban parks, along riverbanks, where birds are fed, on picnic spots). Rodent population control is mainly based on the use of rodenticides in bait boxes and trapping. However, due to high food availability and the presence of attractive habitats in these areas, rat population control is particularly difficult and often ineffective. After decades of rodent control, they continue to persist in cities around the globe and a new approach is needed. Placing traps or rodenticides close to rat burrows, habitats, or food sources is essential, but the discretion requirement, bait box degradation risk, and children and non-target species safety are major issues linked to these practices. Public bins are of major concern because they offer food to rats, but also because they fit into the urban outdoor environment and are often placed near rat habitats such as flowerbeds, bushes, etc.
SECU-RAT addresses two major challenges: (i) ensuring the highly effective and secure deployment of rodenticide baits and trap in the areas exactly where they are most needed in an urban outdoor environment: under public bins; (ii) offering a new comprehensive and integrative tool for decision support in the monitoring and control of rodents in urban environments.
Resulting from academic research, our work aims to develop an innovative approach for more effective management of rodent populations addressing health, material, economic, environmental, and ethical concerns. Based on a range of sensors for detecting the presence and trapping of rodents, our decision-making tool enables the population to be monitored in real-time, data analysis, automated reports and alerts, high-stakes areas mapping, identifying and anticipating health issues for risk assessment, optimized decision-making, effectiveness tracking of interventions.
Our approach based on the superimposition of different GIS layers will be presented: favourable habitats (e.g. sewer system, green spaces), available food resources (e.g. litter bins, composters, food shops), rat “densities” measured with SECU-RAT, and human activities at risk (e.g. human density, children's play areas, restaurant terraces). This new comprehensive tool represents a significant advancement in sustainably mitigating the impact of rodents in urban areas. It combines advanced technology with integrated management under the One Health approach promoting a healthier and safer environment.
Manser, Andri1*; Lindholm, Anna K.1
1 University of Zürich, Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Zürich, Switzerland
* andri.manser@ieu.uzh.ch
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.069
House mice (Mus musculus) are a major ecosystem pest with devastating impact on island ecosystems as non-native invasive species. Current control methods —primarily aerial broadcasting of anticoagulant poisons— raise serious concerns about animal welfare, cause off-target impacts on other species, and are challenging to use in human-inhabited areas. Our research investigates an alternative control strategy using a naturally occurring genetic variant in mice, known as the t-haplotype, as a humane and targeted alternative for mouse population management.
The t-haplotype has two promising characteristics for pest control. First, males that carry two copies of the gene (t/t homozygotes) are completely sterile. Similar to sterile insect techniques, releasing these sterile males into target populations could reduce reproductive rates by increasing the frequency of unproductive mating. Second, males carrying only one copy (+/t heterozygotes) transmit the t to more than 90% of their offspring instead of the 50% expected under Mendelian inheritance. Thanks to this super-Mendelian mode of inheritance, also known as gene drive, we would expect the t-haplotype to spread genetically throughout a target population despite its (sterility) cost, further increasing the frequency of sterile males, potentially leading to population decline.
Here, a mathematical model assessing the potential of the sterile t-method for mouse population control will be presented. Our results indicate that eradication is theoretically achievable based on current knowledge. However, the feasibility critically depends on several biological factors that are currently unknown and that require future empirical work, such as population demography, mating behaviour, and the ability of released males to settle and establish target populations. The model further helps to identify strategies to optimise release campaigns. If viable, this approach could offer a safe, effective, humane, and GMO-free alternative to conventional mouse control methods.
Eason, Charles1*; Shapiro, Lee2; MacMorran, Duncan3; Rennison, Dave4; Smith, Karl5; Ogilvie, Shaun6; Brimble, Margaret4
1 Lincoln University, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Centre for Wildlife Management and Conservation, Lincoln, New Zealand
2 Boffa Miskell Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand
3 IPC Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand
4 University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
5 TCC (NZ) Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand
6 University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
* Charles.Eason@lincoln.ac.nz
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.070
To develop a new or re-register an older rodenticide a large financial investment and commitment is required similar to that occurred recently in Europe with cholecalciferol. Norbormide has unique attributes, being 100 to 150-fold more toxic to rats than to birds and most other mammals, and therefore also justifies this investment. Differences in the effects of norbormide, and its selective contractile effect on rat peripheral arteries and the lack of an effect on the peripheral or small blood vessels in other species appear to be responsible for species differences in toxicity. This understanding of the mechanism of toxicity in rats and species-specific changes is complemented by molecular toxicology explaining why this compound has an effect that is rapid, irreversible, and unique to rats.
There is an extensive database in over 50 species with most of the publications circa 1965. These studies have not been carried out in accordance with recent test guidelines. Standard Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guideline studies are being completed to focus on data-gaps in chemistry, genetic toxicology, non-target toxicity, general ecotoxicity, and environmental fate. To date norbormide has been shown to lack genotoxicity in OECD 477, 487 and 490, in-vitro studies and it lacked irritancy in OECD 404, 406 and 407. Further OECD studies are yielding results consistent with historical data that reported LD50 ranges, following oral administration for Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), between 5.3 and 15.0 mg/kg. The lack of toxicity (i.e., LD50 > 1,000 mg/kg) is previously reported in five bird species and numerous mammalian species, including rhesus monkeys.
Inconsistencies in palatability hampered norbormide use when it was first developed. Prior to embarking on new chemistry and toxicology OECD studies over a decade of research which focused on synthetic processes yielded a manufacturing approach which consistently produced palatable and effective norbormide. This has enabled consistent efficacy of 1% norbormide-containing baits in laboratory and field trials with both Norway rats and black rats (Rattus rattus). Details on new developments including results from the current programme of testing, ranging from the Ames test to non-target testing in birds and earthworms, addressing new data requirements or verification of early data to enable registration, will be presented.
Quinn, Niamh1*; Day, Carolyn1,2; Stapp, Paul2
1 University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Irvine, USA
2 California State University, Fullerton, USA
* nmquinn@ucanr.edu
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.071
Anticoagulant rodenticides have been detected in many species of wildlife worldwide. In California, anticoagulant rodenticides are considered to be of high regulatory concern and are considered high-risk for wildlife. The current monitoring system that provides information on rodenticide exposure to the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) has a number of limitations. Only sick, injured or dead animals are examined, so the overall prevalence of exposure cannot be determined at the population level. A proposed system of monitoring will be discussed that will provide DPR with an index of the rate of exposure over time from the proportion of positive animals out of the total number of animals tested from wild populations. The samples were collected haphazardly from free-roaming, live individuals in the wild and, for the first time, the monitoring does not rely on samples from sick or injured animals or carcasses.
Konec, Marjeta1,2*; Pazhenkova, Elena2; Pavlovič, Eva2; Boyer, Frédéric3; De Barba, Marta1,2; Iosif, Ruben4; Promberger-Füerpass, Barbara4; Miholcea, Zsolt Levente4; Boljte, Barbara1; Hrga, Nuša1; Skrbinšek, Tomaž1,2
1 DivjaLabs Ltd., Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia
3 Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpin, Grenoble, France
4 Foundation Conservation Carpathia, Brașov, Romania
* marjeta.konec@bf.uni-lj.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.072
Over the last couple of decades, genetic tools have become indispensable for providing monitoring data for research and management of wildlife. However, practical applications were often limited by the considerable drawbacks of the traditionally used microsatellites (STR) analysed using capillary electrophoresis. A degree of subjectivity in allele calling, difficulties in data sharing between laboratories and slow, labour intensive, expensive analyses have particularly hampered their use in large, managed populations of large herbivores. This is particularly true for red deer (Cervus elaphus): despite the considerable management interest, population-level studies using noninvasive genetic sampling are still rare. Typically, thousands of samples would need to be analysed, making such studies slow and expensive with the traditional approaches. We aimed to overcome this by developing and testing a new genotyping-by-sequencing marker system. Building on successful applications of the method for large carnivores, we developed a new set of high throughput sequencing (HTS) markers for red deer genotyping.
Using a bioinformatic pipeline and existing red deer genomes, we designed 181 STR markers and five sex-ID markers. By dividing them into several multiplexes, we tested the performance of primers and their polymorphism directly in noninvasive samples. In the next step we selected 46 best performing STR markers and kept 4 sex-ID markers. By optimizing the protocol for practical application, we produced a final single multiplex of 15 STR markers and 2 sex-ID markers. This protocol can be readily scaled-up and automated in the laboratory. As allele calling is done through bioinformatic analysis and requires only limited manual checking, the approach allows cost-effective, rapid genotyping of thousands of samples. Since all data is at the level of nucleotide sequence, the genotypes are perfectly compatible between different laboratories and fully future proof. We tested the approach on 63 red deer faeces samples collected in 2023 in Romanian Carpathians and achieved an 88% genotyping success rate with reliable individual identification. Encouraged by these results we expanded sampling efforts in 2024, analysing 506 additional samples. Our method provides a robust, reliable foundation for population size, density estimates and parentage analyses in red deer, opening the door for large-scale genetic monitoring of this large herbivore. The approach that allowed us to rapidly develop and optimize an HTS genotyping system can be easily applied to other species, providing new possibilities for transborder monitoring and management of large herbivore populations.
Gresham, Amy1,2*; Grainger, Matthew3; St John, Freya4; Cini, Elena4,5; Eigenbrod, Felix2; Bellamy, Chloe C.6; Guy, Matt7; Rattey, Andrew6; Ward, Alastair8; Shannon, Graeme3,4; Spake, Becks1,2
1 University of Reading, School of Biological Sciences, Reading, UK
2 University of Southampton, Institute for Life Sciences, Southampton, UK
3 Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
4 Bangor University, School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor, UK
5 Anglia Ruskin University, Global Sustainability Institute, Cambridge, UK
6 Forest Research, Northern Research Station, Roslin, UK
7 Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, UK
8 University of Leeds, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Leeds, UK
* amygresham48@gmail.com
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.073
Major land use transitions associated with Britain’s woodland creation schemes are set to accelerate further increases in wild deer densities and distributions, threatening treescape expansion, resilience, and Net Zero targets. Managing deer populations and designing planting schemes to mitigate their impacts constitutes one of the most complex wildlife management challenges across the temperate zone. The iDeer project, funded by the UKRI Future of UK Treescapes programme, is delivering a co-designed, web-based decision support tool that will quantify and map the risk of deer impacts to new and existing woodlands at the landscape scale as a function of alternate planting scenarios. To map predicted risk of deer impacts to individual woodland parcels across England and Wales, we have worked with deer experts to develop predictive Bayesian Belief Network models that incorporate complex interactions among landscape-level factors including forage quality, connectivity, climatic harshness, and human disturbance. The model underpins an interactive, web-based ‘iDeer Tool’ to predict risk as a function of different woodland planting scenarios inputted by users.
Goedecker, Caspar1*; Gonzalez, Ellen1; Manser, Andri1; Lindholm, Anna K.1
1 University of Zürich, Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Zürich, Switzerland
* caspar.goedecker@uzh.ch
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.055
House mice (Mus musculus domesticus) are one of the major mammalian pest species worldwide. As an invasive species they cause massive damage to local flora and fauna especially on islands. Half of the large-scale eradication attempts using rodenticides have been unsuccessful so far. The efficiency of rodenticides is limited by the accessibility of the habitat and reduced by the increasing number of species that are developing resistance to rodenticides. In addition, their use is raising major concerns regarding animal welfare including the risk of non-target effects. An alternative approach to managing large, isolated populations are genetic biocontrol methods. One of them could be an inherited sterility method using a selfish genetic element, the so-called t-haplotype. Homozygous males carrying this gene are fully sterile while heterozygous males transmit t to up to 95% of offspring rather than the expected Mendelian rate of 50% due to gene drive. However, despite the theoretical possibility of such a management method, some key question regarding its implementation remains unanswered. Populations of wild house mice are closed, and the migration of individuals is rare. Therefore, a crucial question is the extent to which animals can be translocated into an existing population, and what individual traits improve translocation success.
In this study, we conducted enclosure experiments on a wild strain of house mice where four animals (t-carriers and wildtypes) were released into established populations of ten individuals. We measured the social interactions of released mice with the resident population and gave the animals a possibility to leave the experiment via a water barrier. Immigrants were also tested in behavioural assays for exploration and anxiety. This allowed us to quantify the ability to settle in the population as a function of sex, genotype, and behavioural traits. We found no effect of genotype, but a general advantage of females (67%) over males (11%) in integration into a population. Further, less anxious females were more likely to stay. In general, we found individuals with more social contacts within the first 7 days remained until the end of the experiment. These results suggest that more social and less anxious individuals are more likely to be integrated into an existing population. For this reason, the selection of more social animals could increase the probability for success with such a management method.
Valenčič, Meta1,2*; Fišer, Žiga1; Kekec, Blaž1,2; Premate, Ester1; Recknagel, Hans1
1 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 Herpetološko društvo – Societas Herpetologica Slovenica, Ljubljana, Slovenia
* metavalencic@gmail.com
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.056
The olm (Proteus anguinus) is one of the largest fully groundwater-adapted vertebrates in the world. This unique amphibian is a Dinaric Karst (Western Balkans) endemic and is threatened by groundwater pollution, habitat destruction, and poaching. Recent phylogenomic analyses revealed the olm is not a single species, but a complex of nine lineages. Some of these are narrow endemics, known only from a few locations, and as such highly endangered: a single manure spill could potentially wipe out an entire lineage. Establishing a monitoring scheme for olms and their groundwater habitat is therefore vital, however not trivial due to the hard-to-access subterranean environment. Karstic springs, on the other hand, are easy-to-access and some olm lineages are known to occur in springs. We assessed the suitability of these windows into the underground and used remote sensing for olm monitoring. We set up camera traps and data loggers (T, light intensity) at three springs in south-eastern Slovenia (Europe), inhabited by two olm lineages. We mounted one camera above water to directly monitor olm presence and a second camera on a nearby tree to monitor spring visitors. Preliminary analysis showed that olm abundance differs throughout the year. At the two natural springs they were active almost exclusively during night-time, while at the artificially covered spring (i.e., a permanently dark environment) they appeared throughout the day. This suggests that light deters olms from using springs. The three springs also differed in olm density and occurrence probability. Moreover, we have detected potential olm predators (e.g. water snakes, red fox, cats), but no predatory behaviour towards the olm has been observed so far. Additionally, we recorded a potential poaching attempt. In conclusion, long-term monitoring could establish spring-specific baseline values of olm density and occurrence probability during different seasons and significant deviations could alarm us of negative population trends. Finally, data gathered hold potential for discovering more on the olms' behaviour and intraspecific as well as interspecific interactions.
Heenkenda, Erangi J.1; Black, Andrew N.1; Stockwell, Craig A.2; DeWoody, Andrew J.1,3*
1 Purdue University, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
2 North Dakota State University, Department of Biological Sciences, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
3 Purdue University, Department of Biological Sciences, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
* dewoody@purdue.edu
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.057
Small, isolated populations are susceptible to genomic erosion that can lead to declines in individual fitness and population productivity. Nevertheless, freshwater fishes are often found in small, isolated populations as exemplified by desert pupfishes (family Cyprinodontidae) that often exist in extreme isolation. Pupfishes in the Tularosa basin of New Mexico consist of two native populations (Malpais Spring and Salt Creek) as well as two non-native populations (Lost River and Mound Spring) that were established as refugia using founders from Salt Creek. The native populations diverged recently (~4500 years ago) due to genetic drift. We used whole genome sequences from 214 individual pupfish to monitor short-term evolutionary dynamics (~18 generations). By comparing geographic sites and temporal replicates, we monitored patterns of genomic diversity, inbreeding, load and adaptive potential of these endangered pupfishes. Heterozygosity was exceedingly low (~0.0001) and effective population sizes were consistently small (<1000). Nearly one-quarter of the typical genome was autozygous and estimates of genetic load indicate that purging was modest and negatively correlated with Ne. The native sites each harbour distinct gene pools on unique evolutionary trajectories. The refugia sites, which exhibited the lowest genomic diversity, could benefit from reciprocal gene flow with the native Salt Creek population.
Bíl, Michal1*; Andrášik, Richard1; Cícha, Vojtěch1
1 CDV – Transport Research Centre, Department of Geoinformatics, Brno, Czech Republic
* michal.bil@cdv.cz
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.074
Mitigation measures against wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) on transportation infrastructure can be categorized into three types, depending on the target group they affect. The first group comprises animals, where measures aim to prevent them from entering roads, particularly in areas with a high risk of collision. For secondary roads, it is advisable to deter or appropriately warn wildlife from crossing. The second group includes drivers, who, on unfenced roads, must remain vigilant during critical periods of the day when wildlife may enter the roadway. The third group involves management practices, encompassing both road infrastructure management and the surrounding landscape. We focus on the first group: animals, and on testing mitigation measures designed for secondary roads. How can we assess the effectiveness of these measures? It is reasonable to expect that effective measures will reduce the number of collisions, and that this reduction will be significant. The common approach involves studies based on monitoring the number of animal carcasses found before and after the installation of measures, including observations on control sections. However, a limitation of such studies is the need to wait until a minimum number of casualties accumulate, which can take a long time. As a result, these studies are time-consuming and therefore costly.
Aware of the limitations of traditional studies, we have focused on monitoring animal movements and behaviour in areas close to the implemented measures. When studying behaviour, it is not necessary to install many mitigation measures, but rather it is crucial to carefully evaluate the movements of the animals. There are two approaches available: the first is to use GPS collar data, though these are usually used for other purposes. The second approach is video analysis. GPS collars are frequently used for tracking the home range or migration/dispersion of wild animals. Due to the limited battery capacity of the devices, GPS positions (fixes) are often recorded at relatively long intervals. However, our objective was to reconstruct the animal's movement trajectory as accurately as possible using a mathematical model. Camera recordings must comprehensively capture the area where the mitigation measures are installed and, crucially, must record the presence of the animal. Since ungulate activity peaks during low-visibility periods, cameras with infrared illumination or thermal cameras are required. In addition to this, it is necessary to identify the animal’s movement and, ideally, its behaviour. Given that manual image analysis is time-consuming, we focused on leveraging artificial intelligence methods, specifically image analysis, to automate this process. We will demonstrate how both methods—GPS tracking and image analysis—can be applied to test the effectiveness of mitigation measures and to observe animal behaviour near roads.
Blanco-Aguiar, J.A.1*; Guerrasio, T.1; Carniato, D.1; Acevedo, P.1; Apollonio, M.1; Arakelyan, M.1; Arnon, A.1; Beatham, S.1; Belova, O.1; Berde, L.1; Berdión, O.1; Bleier, N.1; Burgui Oltra, J.M.1; Bužan, E.1; Carro, F.1; Carvalho, J.1; Casaer, J.1; Colomer, J.1; Dijkhuis, L.1; Duniš, L.1; Ertürk, A.1; Dal Mas, M.1; Ferroglio, E.1; Forti, A.1; Gačić, D.1; Gavashelishvili, A.1; Gomez, C.1; Hillström, L.1; Janječić, M.1; Ježek, M.1; Keuling, O.1; Lefranc, H.1; Licoppe, A.1; Liefting, Y.1; Martinez-Carrasco, C.1; Olano, I.1; Palencia, P.1; Platovšek, Z.1, Plis, K.1; Podgórski, T.1; Pokorny, B.1; Rosell, C.1; Rowcliffe, M.1; Santos, J.1; Smith, G.1; Sola de la Torre, J.1; Soriguer, R.1; Stoyanov, S.1; Šprem, N.1; Zanet, S.1; Vicente Baños, J.1; Scandura, M.1
1 Enetwild Consortium (affiliations are available on the request)
* JoseAntonio.Blanco@uclm.es
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.075
The European Observatory of Wildlife (EOW), within the ENETWILD project (www.enetwild.com, funded by the European Food Safety Authority), focuses on improving European wildlife monitoring by developing international data collection standards, supporting density estimation guidance, and fostering open, collaborative data networks. To achieve these objectives, EOW implemented a protocol using the random encounter model (REM) based on camera trap (CT) data for estimating mammalian density. This protocol integrates photogrammetry, allowing a three-dimensional reconstruction of camera scenes for calculating parameters essential to REM, including day range and detection values. The workflow, optimized on the Agouti platform, streamlines image processing and parameter estimation. Since 2021, ENETWILD stakeholders have employed the EOW protocol to assess densities of species like wild boar, roe deer, and red fox across Europe. By 2023, 30 institutions surveyed 44 sites in 22 countries, accumulating 79,092 CT activity days from 1,722 CT deployments. Density estimates show interannual stability with refined precision across several monitored populations. In 2024, network expansion included 40 institutions across 64 sites, prioritizing African swine fever (ASF)-impacted areas. 33 sites now fall within ASF-present countries, and 28 lie near the ASF frontline, highlighting regions where wild boar and domestic pigs coexist and where ASF risk is high. 20 sites (31%) contain an interface wild boar – domestic pigs, while 25 sites (39%) include wetland habitats, which are of possible epidemiological interest for avian influenza both within bird populations themselves and in relation to possible spill-over events to mammals (wild and domestic).
Ongoing networking efforts link EOW with other wildlife monitoring and disease-prevention initiatives, enhancing collaboration. The expansion of EOW sites aims to improve continental data representativeness, especially in regions where emerging diseases like ASF and avian influenza pose significant risks. The refined protocol, with augmented photogrammetry and Agouti functions, has enhanced data standardization and minimized user-related error. The EOW provides a perfect scenario to test improved approaches based on CTs but also novel technologies such as eDNA. EOW data supports continental-scale risk analysis, providing harmonized density estimates essential for disease modelling and aims to contribute to future schemes of biodiversity monitoring in Europe, such as the proposed EU Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC). Consistent multi-year data collection across diverse ecological conditions will ensure comprehensive trend data for effective risk assessment in wildlife management.
Pontiggia, Pietro1,2,3,4*; Focardi, Stefano2; Monaco, Andrea3; Franzetti, Barbara3; DeNicola, Vickie4
1 University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
2 CNR-ISC – Institute for Complex Systems, Florence, Italy
3 Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Rome, Italy
4 Field Engine Wildlife Research and Management LLC, Moodus, USA
* pietro.pontiggia@students.uniroma2.eu
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.076
Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is arguably one of the most problematic species globally. The growth in numbers, coupled with the impact on natural ecosystems, agriculture and human activities, has prompted the implementation of intensive population control measures. Reducing wild boar numbers has become even more pressing as African swine fever spreads. This has resulted in an increased demand for intervention strategies to effectively address population reduction while ensuring efficiency and alignment with evolving animal welfare concerns. Therefore, we initiated a study which aims to evaluate and compare efficiency and animal welfare in three different trapping systems: modular trap, stationary trap, and net trap. The study has been carried out in the Presidential Estate of Castelporziano (Rome, Italy), a 6,000 ha large fenced area characterized by a Mediterranean environment and large biodiversity. The experimental design entailed the partitioning of the area into 3 subzones, which served as replications of the experiment. In each subzone, 4 units of each trap model were randomly deployed, for a total of 36 trapping sites throughout the 3 replications. A total of 50 successful trapping events were achieved between August and September 2024, resulting in a total capture of 154 wild boar (recaptures included). Following their capture, wild boar were marked, weighed, checked for the presence of injuries, and then released.
We used 3 camera traps to monitor each trap and determine the number of wild boar attracted, the composition of groups, and animal behaviour. Subsequently, the efficiency of each trap was determined by calculating the ratio of wild boar captured to the total number of wild boar present in the area. This ratio represents the actual trap's ability to successfully capture all animals that visited it during the conditioning phase. To investigate the variations in animal welfare among the 3 trap types, we conducted a comparative analysis of the impact of the trapping event on wild boar. We documented and assessed injuries and classified them into 11 classes according to severity.
The net trap exhibited a higher relative efficiency (0.90) than for the stationary trap (0.45) and modular trap (0.35), which is likely attributable to the distinctive operational characteristics and configuration of this trapping system. The incidence of damage was recorded in 41.3% of the animals trapped in stationary traps, 78.3% in the modular traps, and 0.0% in the net traps, respectively. The preliminary results indicate that the use of net traps represents an efficient and humane approach to the management of wild boar populations. Nevertheless, further data is required to reinforce this hypothesis and establish a functional protocol to enhance the efficacy of live trapping.
Šprem, Nikica1*
1 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Apiculture, Wildlife Management and Special Zoology, Zagreb, Croatia
* nsprem@agr.hr
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.005
The relationship between humans and ungulates is closely interwoven, especially as there are around 740 million inhabitants and around 25 million ungulates on the European continent. Europe is a largely human-dominated landscape, and the importance of ungulates is generally based on ecological, cultural, and economic reasons. Especially now, in the age of the alpha generation, the best-equipped and most technologically adept generation ever, where artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role, the greatest challenges for the coexistence of humans and ungulates are emerging.
Ungulates tend to increase their geographical range and numbers and are therefore the most important game species of great hunting interest, mainly for their meat and trophies. Throughout history, and especially today, the relationship between ungulates and humans is at a turning point due to various human interventions. There are several key points, but in this talk the focus will only be on reintroduction, hybridization, non-native species, and hunting management.
Reintroduction is the process of translocation and releasing wild animals into areas where they were previously extinct or considered endangered. Unfortunately, these interventions were often carried out with farm animals of unknown genetic origin, which can lead to hybridization. Hybridization between individuals of different (sub)species is a major conservation concern and can lead to changes in genetic, phenotypic, and fitness traits. Non-native species are widely recognised as a major global threat to biodiversity, with several species being classified as invasive without scientific basis. With this in mind, the focus will be on case studies of "invasive" ungulate species where policy decisions have been made without scientific basis. Ultimately, the impact of seven million hunters and an annual hunting bag of seven million ungulates in Europe could lead to evolutionary change.
Vicente Baños, Joaquin1*
1 Universidad de Castilla-la-Mancha, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Ciudad Real, Spain
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.006
Wildlife, including game, are not immune to global changes such as: loss of biodiversity, changes in land use, the movement of people, animals and animal products, and the rapid spread of transboundary diseases throughout the world. Wildlife can be severely impacted or otherwise, become reservoirs of pathogens that threaten human and animal health (such as livestock). Accelerated changes in the environment and management itself, often reactive and without technical bases with a long-term vision, can affect the sustainability of non-informed management. In this context, One Health (one human, animal, and environmental health) is a collaborative, multi-sectoral and transdisciplinary approach that addresses this problem at local, regional, national, and global levels. This concept places the natural world and wildlife at the centre of attention.
In this presentation we will (i) address the essential role of wildlife management in the One Health approach for a global solution, (ii) as well as the need for science-based monitoring under the One Health approach, and (iii) the main barriers to optimize this approach. The position of the wildlife managers and related stakeholders is strategic and fundamental due to its relationship with the natural environment; and its potential to contribute to the monitoring of wildlife, the environment, and shared diseases. For instance, this last aspect is essential for the early warning of emerging diseases, as first-line observers in surveillance systems for pathogens in wildlife, and thus improving the possibilities of their effective control and acting at source. However, there is an urgent need of strengthening collaboration with the rest of the sectors involved, and a better understanding of the perception of One Health (social aspects) by wildlife managers. In turn, it is also essential to promote the visibility of wildlife management principles and its potential contribution to the One Health approach to society, improving public perception and support for wildlife conservation through responsible management. The challenge is not to disconnect the sustainability of wildlife and game management from its necessary contribution to a One Health solution.
Russo, Isa-Rita1*
1 Cardiff University, School of Biosciences, Cardiff, Wales, UK
* russoim@cardiff.ac.auk
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.077
Molecular tools are used for the assessment and monitoring of biodiversity which aid in conservation decisions and management. Recent developments in molecular methods have allowed researchers to analyse species at a genetic and/or genomic level. The level of analysis will depend on the available resources, funding, training, and access to technologies. In some countries/institutions, traditional genetic data such as microsatellites are still utilised in conservation decisions and in others advanced technologies that produce genome data for species are incorporated into management. Genetic/genomic information can answer a variety of research questions at either a higher evolutionary level or at phylogeographic, phylogenetic or population level. In this contribution, black rhinoceros is used as a case study to illustrate how genetic and genomic information can complement each other in conservation management. Genetic (microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA) data for black rhinoceros showed erosion of genetic diversity across the distributional range of the species and several evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) have been identified for the species. Data also showed that genome level analysis often identified finer scale patterns that were not observed using traditional markers such as mitochondrial DNA or microsatellite data, but the overall patterns of diversity were supported by all marker types. In addition, genomic data provided further information regarding inbreeding and genetic load. These genetic/genomic results should be implemented in future conservation actions for the species.
Carr, Alexander1*; Scheepers, Martinus2; Chakona, Albert2; Russo, Isa-Rita1
1 Cardiff University, School of Biosciences, Cardiff, Wales, UK
2 South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda, South Africa
* carra2@cardiff.ac.auk
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.078
Named after its province of origin in South Africa, the Eastern Cape Rocky (Sandelia bainsii) is an endangered freshwater apex predator. The introduction of invasive species such as bass and trout (Micropterus spp., Salmo trutta and Oncorhynchus mykiss) to river systems and dams for recreational and personal use has led to increased competition and predation. In addition, the construction of the Kat River Dam and the presence of many smaller weirs has caused large scale habitat fragmentation across the species’ distribution. These factors are expected to have an adverse effect on gene flow between remnant populations that will affect the long-term evolutionary potential or persistence of the species. A mitogenomic study identified three allopatrically distributed lineages across the Eastern Cape Province, however further research into the genetic structure and diversity of the species is critically needed to inform targeted conservation management of vulnerable populations. Presented here is the first assessment of the species using novel microsatellite markers to identify current patterns of genetic diversity. Furthermore, we used Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) methods to determine historical demographic changes and infer the resilience or resistance of the species to future genetic pressures.
Renko, Gašper1*; Bravničar, Jernej1; Sušnik Bajec, Simona1; Palandačić, Anja2; Snoj, Aleš1
1 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 Vienna Museum of Natural History, First Zoological Department, Vienna, Austria
* gasper.renko@bf.uni-lj.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.079
Brown trout (Salmo trutta), native to Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia, has been introduced to various regions worldwide due to human-mediated translocations. This has resulted in the establishment of populations across all continents, except Antarctica, demonstrating the species' extraordinary adaptability and phenotypic plasticity. This ability to adapt to diverse aquatic environments and colonize new habitats is mirrored in the plethora of life histories a brown trout can adopt. Within lakes, brown trout gradually develop distinct characteristics over generations, adapting to lacustrine conditions and forming what is known as a lacustrine ecotype. The Danubian phylogenetic lineage of brown trout, native to Europe's largest river system, is renowned for producing large lacustrine individuals that historically thrived in Alpine lakes and supported local food needs. Regrettably, unfavourable management practices, introductions of non-native strains, and anthropogenic habitat degradation over the past century have likely led to the extinction of these iconic lake dwellers in their pure form.
To investigate the genetic composition and origins of potentially remnant Danubian lacustrine brown trout, we focused on populations inhabiting lakes Bled and Bohinj in Slovenia. Using microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA analysis on 365 specimens, we evaluated their genetic diversity and structure, comparing them to potential source populations. Additionally, low-coverage whole-genome sequencing was conducted to pinpoint genomic regions differentiating lacustrine and riverine populations and revealing signs of adaptation. Our findings revealed distinct genetic profiles between the two lake populations. Bohinj trout closely aligned with the native Danubian lineage, making it the last known population of non-hybridized Danubian lacustrine brown trout. In contrast, Bled trout displayed a hybrid composition with extensive influence from introduced Atlantic strains. The origin of the alien trouts was traced to Denmark and the most likely scenario for the formation of the hybrid swarm is discussed. These results highlight the complex genetic consequences of human-mediated introductions and emphasize the challenges in conserving natural populations amidst such pressures. It is imperative to implement urgent, ecotype-specific conservation measures to safeguard the native genetic pool of the Bohinj trout. Strategies should prioritize preserving the genetic integrity of this locally adapted population by restricting non-native introductions, mitigating habitat disturbances, and recognizing ecotypes as distinct conservation units. This approach is essential to prevent further genetic dilution and ensure the long-term survival of these unique populations, which hold significant ecological and cultural value.
Rezić, Andrea1*; Bužan, Elena2,3; Gančević, Pavao4; Fabijanić, Nera5; Pobega, Urška2; Šprem, Nikica1
1 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Apiculture, Wildlife Management and Special Zoology, Zagreb, Croatia
2 University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Koper, Slovenia
3 Faculty of Environmental Protection, Velenje, Slovenia
4 University of Split, Undergraduate Study of Mediterranean Agriculture, Split, Croatia
5 Croatian Hunting Federation, Zagreb, Croatia
* arezic@agr.hr
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.080
The rock partridge (Alectoris graeca) is a mountain bird endemic to Europe. It is found in the Alps, the central and southern Apennines, Sicily in Italy, the Balkans, Albania, and Greece. In this distribution area, it mainly inhabits rocky areas and prefers dry, open habitats with sparse vegetation. Since 1950, rock partridge populations have declined across its range, with an estimated decline of almost 30% between 2011 and 2021, resulting in the species being classified as Near Threatened (NT) in both Europe and the EU28. The species was once widespread along the eastern coast of the Adriatic, but has disappeared from many of these areas due to various threats, including the abandonment of traditional farming practices in mountainous areas and habitat loss due to intensive agriculture. In addition, there is the overuse of pesticides, persistent drought, increasing predator populations, overhunting, and poaching. In some regions, such as the Alps, the Italian Apennines and Greece, these threats have led to the extinction of local populations.
To counteract this decline, captive-bred partridges, often chukars (Alectoris chukar) or hybrids between chukars and rock partridges, have been released on a large scale to replace native rock partridges. These releases have often occurred without a thorough assessment of hybridization risks, raising serious concerns about genetic pollution and the long-term conservation of rock partridge. Genetic admixture and introgression can disrupt local adaptations and potentially lead to population declines. Visual inspection alone cannot reliably determine the true origin or genetic differences of captive-bred partridges; therefore, genetic analysis provides a more accurate method to obtain this crucial information. Therefore, we studied the genetic makeup of rock partridges at 32 locations along the eastern Adriatic coast using 20 microsatellite markers to analyse genetic variation and population structure. This data can also serve as a basis for future genetic monitoring and conservation initiatives and help to ensure the long-term viability of the species.
Bužan, Elena1,2*; Pokorny, Boštjan2,3; Pobega, Urška1; Cidilko, Stefan1; Černe, Rok4; Nève Repe, Andreja4
1 University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Koper, Slovenia
1 Faculty of Environmental Protection, Velenje, Slovenia
3 Slovenian Forestry Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
4 Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana, Slovenia
* elena.buzan@upr.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.081
In Europe, Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) was on the brink of extinction in the 19th century, with the only surviving population in Gran Paradiso, Italy, which numbered around 100 individuals. Extreme historical bottleneck and founder effect have strongly shaped the genetic make-up of recent reintroduced populations across Alpine arc. The two only existing populations in Slovenia, i.e. in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the Julian Alps, were established by individuals originating from Gran Paradiso as well as from Swiss and Austrian populations, reintroduced before also from Gran Paradiso in the 19th and 20th centuries. Past analysis of mitochondrial and immunogenetic diversity from recent samples revealed limited haplotype variation in Alpine ibex from Slovenia, with only one predominant mitochondrial haplotype present in both the Julian Alps and the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. The MHC genetic diversity in the same populations showed presence of only one functional allele (Caib-DRB*01).
The aim of this study was to investigate the signatures of inbreeding depression associated with founder events and population isolation in both populations using whole-genome sequencing at a 15-fold depth. Additionally, we included publicly available data on Alpine ibex from the NCBI database. Our analysis encompassed approximately 1 million unlinked nuclear SNPs as well as independent analyses of whole mtDNA and the Y chromosome. We demonstrated that, despite the rapid recovery of Slovenian populations and their increase in abundance during the 1960s, Alpine ibex exhibit persistent genomic signatures of historical bottlenecks, reintroduction events, and recent population declines. This is reflected in a low level of genome-wide genetic diversity compared to other established populations across the Alps. Our results highlight the urgent need to follow the results of the recent scientific research confirming that Alpine ibex is native to Slovenia; based on this, conservation actions aimed at improving genetic diversity of the species should be implemented as soon as possible. This is essential for increasing population viability and resistance to diseases.
Gerič, Urška1; Sollitto, Marco1; Šprem, Nikica2; Potočnik, Hubert3; Šnjegota, Dragana4; Ćirović, Duško5; Branković, Luka1; Bužan, Elena1,6*
1 University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, Koper, Slovenia
2 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries, Apiculture, Wildlife Management and Special Zoology, Zagreb, Croatia
3 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia
4 University of Banja Luka, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
5 University of Belgrade, Faculty of Biology, Belgrade, Serbia
6 Faculty of Environmental Protection, Velenje, Slovenia
* elena.buzan@famnit.upr.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.082
European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) is facing severe threats due to recent habitat loss, fragmentation, and ongoing hybridization with domestic cat (Felis catus). The ancestor of today's domestic cat originated from African wildcat (Felis lybica) in the Near East and Egypt approximately 10,000 years ago. Historical and recent hybridization with domestic cats poses a significant challenge to the conservation of the genetic integrity of wildcat populations across Europe. The present study investigates the genomic structure of European wildcat populations in the northern Dinaric Mountains and the Pannonian Basin, focusing on the presence and extent of recent hybridization in Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia. We employed whole-genome sequencing at 10-fold depth for 40 wildcat samples, complemented by publicly available data on the Felis genus, to analyse approximately 1 million unlinked nuclear single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and complete mitochondrial genomes. Two combined approaches were employed for the analysis of mitochondrial genome variation. The first approach involves assembling and annotating coding sequences, respectively with NOVOPlasty and MitoZ, followed by multiple alignment using MAFFT and phylogenetic tree construction with BEAST2. The second approach entailed analysing mitochondrial SNPs to construct a hierarchical clustering tree and perform MDS plot. These analyses confirmed the presence of genetic introgression in wildcats from Serbia, specifically around the Beograd region, where a high population of stray cats poses a significant risk of hybridization. By leveraging advanced genomic tools, this study provides valuable insights to improve conservation strategies aimed at preserving the genetic diversity and integrity of European wildcat populations.
Marinangeli, Lara1,2*; Boscari, Elisa3; Scapolatiello, Annalisa3; Crestanello, Barbara1; Galla, Giulio1; Ferloni, Maria4; Piálek, Jaroslav5; Nonnis-Marzano, Francesco2; Congiu, Leonardo3,6,7; Hauffe, Heidi C.1,7
1 Fondazione Edmund Mach, Conservation Genomics Research Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, San Michele all’Adige, Italy
2 University of Parma, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Parma, Italy
3 University of Padova, Department of Biology, Padova, Italy
4 Province of Sondrio, Sondrio, Italy
5 Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, External Research Facility Studenec, Brno, Czech Republic
6 Consorzio Nazionale Inter-universitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), Roma, Italy
7 National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
* lara.marinangeli@unipr.it
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.083
Rapid species identification is a fundamental tool for wildlife management and conservation plans. Many molecular methods have been proposed to solve taxonomic issues, such microsatellites (STR), or SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) sets generated from RAD-seq and GBS (Genotyping-by-Sequencing). However, these markers tend to be species specific (STR) or cannot be efficiently applied to samples with scarce DNA quality/quantity (RAD-seq and GBS). Here we developed a new panel of Multi-locus Intron Polymorphisms ('MIPs') for mammalian genomic surveys, species and individual identification, and monitoring of interspecific hybridization. Specific subsets for rodents, lagomorphs, canids and their hybrids were designed. To generate a panel maximizing levels of cross-amplification, 121 available genomes from across Mammalia were aligned to identify the most conserved intronic regions; 192 introns randomly distributed across the genomes were then selected for the panel. Primer pairs suitable for multiplex PCR amplifications followed by Illumina amplicon sequencing were designed on conserved exonic flanking regions. The MIPs panel was tested on 71 laboratory mouse tissue samples to assess its potential to identify two parental lineages (Mus musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus) and different hybrid classes obtained from controlled laboratory crosses. The panel was then tested on invasive samples from several pairs of species known to hybridize under natural conditions: tissue samples from 250 mountain hares (Lepus timidus) and 70 brown hares (L. europaeus) bagged in the Province of Sondrio (Italy), from three hunting areas with different intensities of L. europaeus restocking, two altitudinal ranges (below and above 2000 m a.s.l.) and two collection periods (2001–2008 and 2016–2023) as proxies for climate change scenarios. Further tests were also conducted on other mammalian species belonging to the families Bovidae, Canidae, Felidae, and Suidae. Amplicon sequencing data were analysed with dedicated bioinformatic pipelines to assess inter- and intraspecific genetic diversity and level of hybridization of the populations under study. We discuss the usefulness of MIPs in addressing taxonomic problems and defining hybridization classes between different mammalian species.
Krapinec, Krešimir1*; Mijić, Marija2; Vucelja, Marko1; Tomljanović, Kristijan1; Konjević, Dean3; Bujanić, Miljenko3; Bjedov, Linda1
1 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Institute of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Zagreb, Croatia
2 Agriculture and Forestry School, Vinkovci, Croatia
3 University of Zagreb, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
* kkrapinec@sumfak.unizg.hr
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.084
Badgers are members of superfamily Musteloidea (Carnivora, Caniformia) with still controversial systematic relationships. Moreover, based on craniometric analysis from the beginning of the 21st century, four separate species were suggested within the genus of Eurasian badgers (Meles spp.). Despite the fact that European badger (Meles meles) was divided into two subspecies, this suggestion is still not generally accepted. However, because of the relatively wide distribution, some scull variabilities are possible due to more or less pronounced characteristics of sexual dimorphism.
The craniometric analysis was made on 62 skulls of European badgers, collected from Medvednica mountain (8450 ha) within the hunting years 2016/2017–2024/2025. Specimens were separated according to sex (male, female) and age (0 to 5 years, based on canines’ cementum annuli). We measured 17 craniometric characteristics. Comparison was made between sex and age categories within Medvednica and among some other European populations (Carpathian, Fennoscandia). Badgers from Medvednica show relatively low level of sexual dimorphism, significant in only 5 craniometric characters – length of lower canines, basal length, condylobasal length, mandibular tooth-row length, and length of the first mandibular molar (M1). In general, badgers from Medvednica have larger skulls than badgers from Carpathian and Fennoscandian regions.
Smith, Graham1*
1 National Wildlife Management Centre, APHA, Sand Hutton, York, UK
* graham.smith@apha.gov.uk
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.085
Control of exotic disease outbreaks in wildlife is made more difficult for two-species diseases that are chronic in nature. Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is such a disease when it has been transported by cattle movement into previously disease-free areas. I will describe several events where disease has been introduced through cattle movement and the adaptive management approach taken after discovering this disease has been transmitted into badgers (Meles meles), which are capable hosts. In the first case, identified in badgers in 2017 with the origin of infection being cattle imported from Ireland, the area for control had to be defined by surveying for badger main setts, identifying the probable infected areas by defining a minimum infected area (MIA) and adding a buffer onto this to account for incomplete information and spatial spread within badgers. The management approach in terms of culling or vaccination then had to be defined. Culled animals were examined post mortem and whole genome sequencing was used to examine the relationship between cattle and badgers, and the control strategy revised. This was repeated each year with the management moving from culling to vaccination, and now moving toward disease freedom. This will be the first eradication of bovine TB from the badger/cattle system in the UK. I will also report on four other outbreaks in the otherwise disease-free low risk area, and how these are progressing. This generic approach of defining an MIA and buffer has been used in other outbreak scenarios, and I will present the six necessary steps to perform adaptive management for other focal disease outbreaks.
Wisely, Samantha M.1*; Botero-Cañola, Sebastian1; Canino, Nicholas1; Torhorst, Carson1; Wilson, Kristen N.1, Davis, Angela2; O’Hara, Kathleen2
1 University of Florida, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Gainesville, USA
2 United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health, Fort Collins, USA
* wisely@ufl.edu
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.086
With its spread to the Caribbean basin, African swine fever virus has become a global panzootic of both wild and domestic suids. While the majority of transmission occurs from pig to pig or from fomite to pig, vector-borne transmission via Argasid soft ticks occurs in a sylvatic transmission cycle in Africa. In the Iberian Peninsula, soft ticks are associated with pig farms, and have been implicated in outbreaks of African swine fever. For example, the relevance of soft ticks in transmission was demonstrated in Spain in free ranging pigs living in old facilities (stone-made, extensive farming), but not for wild boar. Using lessons learned from the European experience with African swine fever and its tick vector, we created a species distribution map for Ornithodoros turicata, a soft tick in Florida, USA, and estimated contact rates between soft ticks and invasive wild pigs in order to develop a risk model for vector-borne transmission of African swine fever virus. Florida is considered a region at high risk for the importation of African swine fever virus, both because of its proximity to the Caribbean basin, but also because it has >1 million invasive wild pigs.
To create data for the model, we conducted stratified random surveillance of soft ticks in animal burrows throughout Florida. Using soft ticks collected from the sampling effort, we estimated contact rates between wild pigs and soft ticks by conducting molecular-based bloodmeal analysis. We surveyed 591 burrows at 113 sites across Florida, and collected ticks by vacuuming substrate from animal burrows and then sifting the substrate for ticks. 54% (61 of 113) of the sites had burrows that were occupied by Ornithodoros turicata. Of the 61 occupied sites, 10 sites had ticks with pig blood in their abdomen. Three additional sites had evidence of recent pig activity around the burrows. Taken together, 21% of sites had soft ticks that had either recently parasitized a wild pig, or a wild pig had come into the proximity of an infested burrow. These results strongly suggest that should the African swine fever virus establish itself in invasive wild pigs in Florida, there would be a high likelihood that it would also become endemic in soft ticks. Outbreak response plans should include a soft tick surveillance protocol, and based on a specific response plan African swine fever virus should be detected in Ornithodoros turicata in Florida.
Csivincsik, Ágnes1*; Moloi, Sibusiso1; Halász, Tibor1,2; Nagy, Gábor1
1 Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Animal Physiology and Animal Health, Kaposvár, Hungary
2 SEFAG Forestry and Timber Industry Company, Department of Wildlife Management, Kaposvár, Hungary
* csivincsik.agnes@uni-mate.hu
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.087
Echinococcus multilocularis is a zoonotic tapeworm being responsible for the human alveolar echinococcosis (HAE), a chronic disease, which causes death of the patient in the lack of appropriate treatment. Wild Canidae play the role of definitive hosts in the life cycle of the parasite. Humans acquire infection accidentally and show liver lesions similar to those of the natural intermediate rodent hosts. The potential role of the golden jackal in the maintenance and spread of the parasite was initiated to investigate during the 2010s. Our research group joined this research in 2016. Since then, we have investigated more aspects of the host-parasite interactions between golden jackals and E. multilocularis. We compared the prevalence and mean intensity values of red fox and golden jackal, the egg production ability of the two hosts. We also evaluated environmental factors, which can contribute to the maintenance of E. multilocularis forming microfoci of the infection. We analysed the interdependence of human and carnivore epidemiology of E. multilocularis. Between 2016 and 2024, we investigated 435 golden jackals compared to red foxes (n=291).
We confirmed that prevalence and mean intensity were similar in the two species. Moreover, within some hotspots, the jackal population proved to be at a higher risk of infection. Our study on egg production confirmed the difference between the two hosts, which might cause multiplied risk by their coexistence. Among the environmental factors, wetlands were found to carry higher risk for maintenance of E. multilocularis, while annual precipitation and the seasonality of precipitation proved to have local effect on microfocus formation. During the years of investigation, we determined a high-risk cluster of E. multilocularis along the Drava River. By analysis of the correlations of HAE cases and the hotspots in wild carnivore, the human health risk due to presence and disease transmission by golden jackals proved to be suspicious. Our findings also support those of studies carried out in Croatia and Serbia, which call attention to the formation of a new E. multilocularis high risk area within the western Balkan region.
Ecke, Frauke1,2*; Evander, Magnus3; Khalil, Hussein2; Magnusson, Magnus2,4; Meheretu, Yonas2; Sjödin, Henrik5; Vanhatalo, Jarno1,6; Hörnfeldt, Birger2
1 University of Helsinki, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Helsinki, Finland
2 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Umeå, Sweden
3 Umeå University, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå, Sweden
4 Swedish Forest Agency, Umeå, Sweden
5 Umeå University, Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå, Sweden
6 University of Helsinki, Faculty of Science, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Helsinki, Finland
* frauke.ecke@helsinki.fi
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.088
Already in the early era of quantitative population ecology, Charles Elton suggested diseases to regulate animal numbers. The refutation of this disease hypothesis in the 1950s has however caused pathogens getting low or almost no attention during the following period of “vole wars” where different schools of rodent researchers were competing to identify the likely misleading single factor driving cyclic dynamics of especially microtine rodents. Predation and food availability have been commonly proposed as the primary drivers. However, the predation hypothesis remains controversial, and interactions between multiple drivers are poorly understood. In addition, the emergence of new analytical techniques in recent decades has finally opened new cross-disciplinary research options which have increased our understanding of the distribution and ecology of rodent-borne pathogens fundamentally. The gained insights motivate us to revisit and revive the disease hypothesis. Indeed, there is mounting evidence that certain pathogens play an important role in the fitness of rodents. Here, we therefore revisit the disease hypothesis by studying and using a 42-year time series of field data, the role of food availability (i.e., seeds of Scots pine [Pinus sylvestris] and Norway spruce [Picea alba]), a common zoonotic pathogen (Orthohantavirus puumalaense), and predation by a specialist predator, for the population dynamics of bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus).
We show that the interaction between pathogen infection and predation drives population cycles in bank voles. The vole, pathogen, and predator populations cycle synchronously. Dynamic modelling of the data revealed that vole cyclicity emerged only when both pathogen and predator were considered together, with the pathogen spreading efficiently in the vole population during winter, resulting in reduced reproduction in the following summer, and the predator likely increasing predation on infected voles. Our results demonstrate that pathogens play a critical role in vole population dynamics, suggesting that the disease hypothesis has been prematurely dismissed. The findings provide a basis for further exploration of multi-factor models in other cyclic species or for bank voles in other regions, examining the role of pathogens either alone or combined with other factors.
Tkadlec, Emil1*; Kučerová, Monika1
1 Palacký University, Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Olomouc, Czech Republic
* emil.tkadlec@upol.cz
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.089
Small rodents are among the most significant reservoirs for many zoonotic pathogens, including those transmitted to humans by ticks. Annual incidences of tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease—the most severe tick-borne illnesses in central Europe—vary considerably from year to year. In Europe, the generalist tick Ixodes ricinus is the primary vector transmitting tick-borne pathogens to humans. This tick has three blood-feeding stages, with voles and mice acting as the main reservoir hosts for larval ticks. The transition from larva to nymph is a critical phase in pathogen transmission, as exposure to pathogens is most likely at this stage, directly affecting the density of infected nymphs. Vole population densities, in particular, change dramatically over time in 3-5-year cycles, influencing the likelihood that questing larvae will encounter a host and leading to significant variability in infection rates. Our previous research, based on a 17-year dataset, demonstrated that common vole (Microtus arvalis) abundance and climate variability can predict annual incidences of both diseases. Given the erratic nature of common vole population dynamics, we tested the robustness of these predictors with a longer data series of disease incidence from the Czech Republic. Our results confirmed that the predictive ability holds for tick-borne encephalitis but is weaker for Lyme disease. We propose a potential explanation for the stronger association between tick-borne encephalitis and the common vole.
The work was supported by a grant SS06020333 from TAČR.
Berard, Aloïs1*; Galan, Maxime1; Pradel, Julien1; Loiseau, Anne1; Tatard, Caroline1; Castel, Guillaume1; Piry, Sylvain1; Berthier, Karine1,2; Moutailler, Sara3; Galon, Clemence3; Plat, Nattan4; Rivoal, Jean-Baptiste4; Jactel, Hervé4; Charbonnel, Nathalie1
1 INRAE, CBGP, Montpellier, France
2 INRAE, Pathologie végétale, Montfavet, France
3 ANSES – INRAE – EnvA – UMR BIPAR, Laboratoire de Santé Animale, Maisons-Alfort, France
4 INRAE, BIOGECO, Cestas, France
* aloisberard@outlook.fr and alois.berard@inrae.fr
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.090
Understanding the complex relationships between landscape and pathogens distribution in wildlife is crucial for evaluating and mitigating zoonotic risks. Ecological restoration has gained attention as a nature-based solution to bring back biodiversity in human-altered environments. However, the influence of restoration efforts on zoonotic risks remains poorly understood. In Western France, the intensively managed Landes Forest is dominated by maritime pine monoculture (>70%). The plantation of broadleaved hedgerows has been planned to restore forest biodiversity and improve forest resilience. However, the impact of these modifications on zoonotic risks has yet to be assessed.
To investigate whether hedgerows and landscape characteristics (i.e., connectivity and proportion of surrounding broadleaved vegetation) influence pathogen richness and prevalence in rodent populations, we conducted rodent and tick sampling in the Landes Forest during the spring and fall of 2023 and 2024. Our protocol included 53 trapping lines across 7 broadleaved forests, 24 broadleaved hedgerows, and 12 control trap lines along pine plot edges. Orthohantaviruses were detected using serological approaches. Leptospira spp. were analysed using a qPCR and the lipL32 gene. Other pathogenic bacteria were detected with no a priori using a metabarcoding approach targeting the V4 region of the 16S-rRNA in the rodent spleen. Bartonella sp. identification was later refined using gltA and rpoB gene primers. Tick specimens were collected individually from rodents and via tick-flagging. Tick species and their pathogens’ identification was achieved using a dedicated microfluidic chip.
Wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) accounted for 95% of the 380 rodents trapped. Among the 311 wood mice analysed, we did not find any Orthohantavirus-seropositive individuals. We identified 12 putative pathogen bacteria (among which four Bartonella species, no Leptospira sp.) and three tick species. Notably, mice in area with fewer surrounding broadleaved trees showed a higher likelihood of infection with the tick-borne zoonotic pathogen Neoehrlichia mikurensis. Moreover, hedgerows exhibited a higher abundance of ticks than pine edges. These findings underscore the significant influence of landscape modifications on zoonotic hazards. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these relationships—such as shifts in host susceptibility, changes in host-pathogen encounter rates or altered vector distributions—is crucial for integrating effectively zoonotic risk management into ecological restoration practices.
Tošić, Božana1*; Gajić, Natalija2; Čabrilo, Borislav1; Bjelić-Čabrilo, Olivera1; Cvijanović, Dušanka1; Miljević, Milan3; Jakovetić, Dušan2
1 University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology and Ecology, Novi Sad, Serbia
2 University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Novi Sad, Serbia
3 University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković” – National Institute of Republic of Serbia, Department of Genetic Research, Belgrade, Serbia
* bozana.tosic@dbe.uns.ac.rs
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.091
Research on the helminth fauna of small rodents was conducted in the period from 2019 to 2023 in the territory of Vojvodina Province, Serbia, in eight different localities. The rodent sample consisted of striped field mice (A. agrarius) (83), yellow-necked mice (A. flavicollis) (116) and wood mice (A. sylvaticus) (43). The mice were hosts to three helminth groups: nematodes, tapeworms, and digeneans. The aim of the study was to predict the abundance of helminths of selected species of the genera Aonchtotheca, Heligmosmoides, Syphacia and Trichuris, as well as species with zoonotic potential, i.e. Rodentolepis fraterna and Capillaria hepatica, based on various abiotic (Corine Land Use types, environmental variables, altitude, locality, region) and biotic (host species, sex, body mass, body length, spleen mass) factors. A random forest machine learning predictive model for factor importance evaluation was used to select and evaluate important features in predicting parasite abundance. P-values were estimated by using Monte Carlo analysis. The results showed that the prediction of the abundance of C. hepatica is influenced by the body condition index and spleen size of the host, and R. fraterna by the same two factors plus the mean monthly air temperature. The factors singled out as significant for species of the genus Heligmosomoides were numerous, including Corine Land Use types, all bioclimatic variables, and all biotic factors. Factors that significantly influenced the prediction of Syphacia and Trichuris species abundance were related to temperature, body condition index, and spleen mass of the host. As for Aonchotheca species, none of the factors were identified as significant. The obtained data are important from the aspect of using machine learning on these types of data and obtaining a better insight into parasite-host population dynamics, which is of particular importance when it comes to species that have zoonotic potential.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia (Grants No. 451-03-66/2024-03/200125 & 451-03-65/2024-03/200125).
García-López, Virginia1; Vicente Baños, Joaquin1*; Carro, Francisco2; Acevedo, Pelayo1, Ertürk, Alper1,3
1 Universidad de Castilla-la-Mancha, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Ciudad Real, Spain
2 Research Biological Station (EBD), CSIC, Seville, Spain
3 Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Turkey
* joaquin.vicente@uclm.es
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.092
Management of wildlife communities and their ecosystems requires determining and monitoring changes in their specific composition and abundance. Micromammals are crucial species in ecosystems, playing a significant role as prey species and environmental engineers. However, they present complexity when developing monitoring programs. Density estimation of small mammals by capture-recapture generally involves handling them by rapid capture techniques, which sometimes results in the death of the animal, which is unethical. Therefore, we tested, for the first time, a time-lapse based photo-trapping protocol (Space to Event model, STE) in an area of Doñana National Park (Southwest Spain) to determine the abundance of micromammals without the need to capture or handle them. The performed effort allowed determining the micromammal species richness present in the area and compared well against capture methodology. In terms of reliability of abundance estimation, while micromammal densities were within the range of estimations of minimum population size of micromammals determined in the area, its validation as a method to determine density of micromammals still require further efforts. We also evidenced the utility of this approach for monitoring other small-sized terrestrial wildlife, namely reptiles, indicating its potential for camera trap multispecies monitoring. In terms of practicability, field and data processing efforts are feasible and will only get better as new automatic identification tools are incorporated to this protocol. The aspects to improve the protocol include enhancing the optics of camera traps to visualize and identify species, as well as testing camera trap deployment distribution considering habitat availability in areas where, ideally, precise density of small terrestrial wildlife is reliably assessed by independent methods.
Please, complete the survey by Wed. 20.00 https://forms.gle/crbWiRAqzUHhuAg38
Hauffe, Heidi C.1,2*
1 Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Conservation Genomics Research Unit and Platform for Animal, Environmental and Antique DNA, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
2 National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
* heidi.hauffe@fmach.it
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.007
Although there are dozens of species of rodents and lagomorphs in Europe, knowledge of their biology, ecology and genetic biodiversity is heterogeneous and heavily biased towards their traditional classification as laboratory models, agricultural pests, harbingers of disease or game species. While some of these taxa have been instrumental to our understanding of speciation and vector-borne zoonoses, in this brief (and almost certainly biased review), I would also like to present some of the more recent and innovative research in fields often reserved for larger and perhaps more ‘charismatic’ mammals. At the same time, it should be noted that almost all rodent/lagomorph species, predominantly vegetarian and serving as food sources for the higher trophic levels of most terrestrial ecosystems, are experiencing (severe) decline in numbers, often due to changes in agricultural practices and climate warming. The perception that rodents and lagomorphs are by definition common, widespread, and flourishing also means that almost 20 threatened species (and many more at a local level) are falling under the radar. Restocking and reintroductions are now considered acceptable actions even for these smaller mammals, and can be highly successful, although post-monitoring needs improvement. Such examples make interesting models in themselves for investigating the impact of these management interventions, given that understanding how to halt the decline of these important, fascinating yet unappreciated animals should be considered imperative to biodiversity conservation.
Begall, Sabine1*
1 University of Duisburg-Essen, Department of General Zoology, Essen, Germany
* sabine.begall@uni-due.de
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.008
African mole-rats (Bathyergidae) are strictly subterranean rodents spending most of their lives in self-constructed burrow systems that they rarely leave. All bathyergids display morphological adaptations to life underground: cylindrical bodies, short extremities, prominent incisors or elongated nails as digging tools, to name just a few. Most research in this group has been focused on the naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) and their hairy cousins of the genus Fukomys. Various aspects of their sensory biology (especially hearing, vision, and magnetoreception) have been studied in detail. The animals are highly social, and reproduction is restricted to one breeding pair in each family. As the offspring stay for a considerable time with their parents, families consist of multiple generations which often have been referred to as “eusocial”. Under laboratory conditions, mole-rats have a remarkably long maximum life-span with breeders living significantly longer than non-breeders. Reports about cancer incidence are close to zero, and at least naked mole-rats and Ansell’s mole-rats (Fukomys anselli) are resistant to skin cancer after treatment with a strong mutagen.
Santorek, Anna1; Rutkowski, Robert1*; Gwiazdowska, Aleksandra1; Grabowska, Julia1; Merta, Dorota2; Ławreszuk, Dorota3; Flis-Martyniuk, Ewa4
1 Museum and Institute of Zoology, Warsaw, Poland
2 Pedagogical University of Cracow, Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Cracow, Poland
3 State Forests, Głęboki Bród Forest District, Głęboki Bród, Poland
4 State Forests, Janów Lubelski Forest District, Janów Lubelski, Poland
* rrutkowski@miiz.waw.pl
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.058
Molecular genetic methods, especially those related to the genetic identification of individuals, are extremely useful in monitoring populations of endangered species. The capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is completely protected in over 20 European countries, and in most of them it is Red-Listed. In Poland, in the second half of the 20th century, the species occurred mainly in the mountains, but survived also in three lowland populations. Unfortunately, one of them –the Lower Silesian Forest– became extinct in the late 1990s, and the other two have experienced a significant decline in number. In the 21st century, an attempt was made to actively protect capercaillie in Poland. As part of these activities, the species was reintroduced to the Lower Silesian Forest and the genetic rescue of the two remaining lowland populations, i.e., the Augustów Forest and the Solska Forest, was initiated.
The presented results summarize the effects of over ten years of conservation activities. Based on microsatellite genotyping of non-invasive samples collected in Polish lowland populations, the effectiveness of genetic rescue was determined – the genetic diversity of the populations was compared before and after the reinforcement with reintroduced individuals (Augustowska Forest, Solska Forest). In the case of the extinct population (Lower Silesian Forest), based on microsatellite genotypes of reintroduced birds and an extensive collection of non-invasive samples, the survival and reproductive efficiency of reintroduced individuals were monitored. In total, for genetic analysis more than 1500 samples were collected between 2010 and 2023, including biological material from introduced birds and non-invasive samples found in a field. The results emphasize the importance of active conservation measures to ensure the survival of endangered species populations.
Scaravelli, Dino1,2*
1 University of Bologna, BIGEA Department, Bologna, Italy
2 STERNA scarl, Forlì, Italy
* dino.scaravelli@unibo.it
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.059
Careful monitoring of wind farm installation sites is essential to reduce the impacts generated on birds and bats by these plants. A long-term monitoring program was applied in the design and control of a plant of 6 wind turbines with a height of about 80 m at the hub and a rotor with a diameter of 117 m, located on the mountain ridge between the provinces of Parma and Genoa, in the Emilian Apennines. In 2013, the pre-operation monitoring was conducted, which defined the local faunal conditions. After construction in 2018, the monitoring was repeated, with BACI characteristics, extended until 2023. The nesting birds were recorded by singing from points that allowed us to cover the entire extension of the wind farm, and the migratory passages were verified by sight from salient points. The bats were monitored from listening points with classic bioacoustic methods.
The disturbance was significant during the construction phase, but subsequent surveys showed a very rapid recovery of the nesting contingent. The number of nesting species close to the wind farm, considering 1 km of buffer, was 38 in preconstruction phase and 38 in 2018 (i.e., first year post construction), 38 in 2019, 37 in 2020, 43 in 2021, 41 in 2022, and 47 in 2023, respectively. The number of couples slightly increased especially for Lanius collurio and Lullula arborea, as well as for the forest dwelling species. The migratory passage at the wind farm direction is modest, with a good diversity with 78 species in 2023, 69 in 2022, 75 in 2021, 74 in 2020, 59 in 2019, and 60 in 2018, also including local movements that are not typically migratory. The number of passages for species of conservation interest (i.e., those included in the national and European lists) was 338 individuals in 2023, 332 in 2022, 260 in 2021, 222 in 2020, 198 in 2019, and 230 in 2018, both regarding own migrants and local passage or birds present in the area. The checks in the pitches to verify fatalities were carried out four times a month, without ever finding any carcasses. The potential rate of removal by scavengers (mainly foxes) was tested, showing that bird carcasses remained on the ground for 1 to 3 days before consumption.
As regards bats, 6 species were counted and the average number of passages per hour did not undergo significant variations in the years of observation, increasing progressively from the beginning of spring with a peak in the warm months, with the presence of many insects in open areas, then decreasing and finally interrupting with the cold of October.
For the site under monitoring, it is possible to conclude that at such a choice of area, the spatial arrangement of the towers and the management of open spaces throughout the farm, this wind farm did not have a negative impact on studied taxa; indeed, it seems that it even facilitated some indicator species.
Cuéllar-Basterrechea, Carlos1; Hernández-Garavís, Lorena1; Báscones-Reina, Miriam1; Garcés-Toledano, José Fernando1; Blanca-Chana, Fernando1; Rodríguez-Moreno, Beatriz1; González-Simón, Paula1; Peiteado-Morales, Celsa2
1 Group for the Rehabilitation of Native Fauna and its Habitat (GREFA), Majadahonda, Spain
2 World Wildlife Found – Spain (WWF/España), Madrid, Spain
* carlos@grefa.org
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.060
Common vole (Microtus arvalis) population outbreaks generate important damage in croplands of northwest of Spain. In order to work on the control of this pest, a study area was established in the province of Segovia. The area was equipped with 103 nest boxes for avian predators: barn owl (Tyto alba), little owl (Athene noctua), and common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Literature and phototrapping have previously demonstrated that these two owl species are effective predators of common vole. They both have a poor conservation status in Spain.
A specific monitoring study was developed in the period 2021-2024, to individualize all the nocturnal raptors which breed in these nest boxes. The goal was to get knowledge and demonstrate the importance of fixing populations of these raptor species in croplands where rodents frequently cause damage. The study demonstrated that it is possible to recover and fix populations of nocturnal raptors for a period of many years. This requires the installation of a considerable number of nest boxes to offer enough breeding sites for future generations of owls. Thanks to this inexpensive tool, we have obtained important information on the kinship, breeding pairs, local movements, and habitat selection of two main feathered allies of Spanish farmers: barn owl and little owl. This information is very useful to know how to orientate new projects or local actions of biological control of the common vole. Finally, we have shown that our monitoring method poses no risk to these birds at such a delicate time as the breeding season.
Baert, Kristof1*; Lathouwers, Michiel1
1 Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Wildlife and Invasive Species Management, Brussels, Belgium
* kristof.baert@inbo.be
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.093
Our research into anticoagulant rodenticides (AR) resistance in Flemish rat populations began in 2003 with blood clotting response (BCR) tests, in which small doses of ARs were administered to measure the prothrombin time and assess blood clotting effects. Over three years (2003-2005), we screened 691 rats from various locations for susceptibility to warfarin, bromadiolone, and difenacoum, identifying around 20% of the population as anticoagulant-resistant. Concurrent advances led to the discovery of the Vkorc1 gene and its role in rodenticide resistance. Genetic analysis of 119 rats revealed two prevalent mutations: Y139F and L120Q, each showing unique geographical distributions. Y139F was common in the western and eastern regions of Flanders, while L120Q appeared predominantly in the western central area, with notable absence of resistance in central Flanders. From 2006 to 2010, a second screening was conducted on 845 rats, of which 286 were at least warfarin-resistant. Depending on their BCR test result a total of 449 rats were genetically analysed, confirming the geographic spread of Y139F and L120Q and identifying for Flanders a rare Y139C mutation. Combined BCR and genetic findings highlighted Y139F’s association with warfarin and bromadiolone resistance, while L120Q primarily caused warfarin resistance; both mutations showed very limited difenacoum resistance. In 2013, our screening methodology transitioned to a standardized genetic approach, focusing on SNP detection to replace BCR tests due to animal welfare and efficiency concerns. We aimed for a broad geographic spread by limiting samples to one per location due to spatial correlation, and targeted 1200 samples annually. This approach continued from 2013 to 2019, though 2017 and 2018 featured reduced sampling with 500 samples in central Flanders, where resistance prevalence was lower. By the end of this period, overall resistance had risen to 40%, influenced by gradual expansion of the resistant mutations’ geographical range and increased local prevalence. Most recently, a 2024 screening revealed preliminary results indicating resistance levels nearing 50%. In some locations, rats were found to carry a combination of Y139F with either L120Q or Y139C mutations. Previous BCR tests in our lab on rats with the Y139F and L120Q combination indicated an increased degree of difenacoum resistance, suggesting potential challenges for rodent control in these areas. To evaluate whether practical implications of resistance have shifted over time, we recently conducted BCR tests on 67 rats from a historically high-resistance location (only with Y139F prevalence), specifically assessing for difenacoum resistance. Results showed that only 5 rats (7.5%) exhibited difenacoum resistance, a proportion that aligns with past findings and remains within acceptable limits for effective rodent control.
In conclusion, resistance has steadily increased over time, now reaching a concerning level of nearly 50%. Nonetheless, effective rodent management is achievable through targeted use of AR compounds based on the specific mutations present. Emphasis on preventive measures, mechanical trapping, and adherence to integrated pest management (IPM) practices will further support sustainable control efforts.
Endepols, Stefan1; Richter, Dania2; Klemann, Nicole3
1 Envu R&D, Monheim, Germany
2 Labor Prof. Matuschka, Michendorf, Germany
3 Consultant for rodent management and research, Warendorf, Germany
* Stefan.endepols@envu.com
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.094
The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of 25 mg/kg brodifacoum in controlling anticoagulant-resistant house mice (Mus musculus) of the hybrid L128S and Vkorc1spre introgression strain in feeding tests and in two practical treatments. Brodifacoum was proven effective in 4-days feeding tests with laboratory reared hybrid resistant mice. Two field studies were conducted with infestations comprising hybrid resistant mice, according to the ECHA guidance on the biocidal products regulation.
In the field study #1, the size of the initial infestation was estimated according to the mean consumption of 349 g/24h rolled oats during the pre-treatment census. After consumption of 1,113 g of bait, the control success was 100% and 99% according to the post-treatment feeding census and the tracking activity census, respectively. In the field study #2, the mean infestation size prior to the treatment was 59 g/24h. 324 g of bait was consumed during the treatment and resulted in a control success at 90% and 91% according to the feeding census and tracking census. The initial infestations comprised 16.7% (#1) and 100% (#2) of house mice of the hybrid L128S and Vkorc1spre strain. During the treatments, 27.8% and 60%, respectively, of succumbed house mice were hybrid resistant. The observed level of control was considered proof of efficacy of 25 mg/kg brodifacoum bait in controlling resistant house mice of the hybrid L128S and Vkorc1spre introgression strain.
The project was commissioned by RRAC.
George, Sheila1*; Campbell, Steve1
1 Wildlife Management Unit, SASA, Edinburgh, UK
* sheila.george@sasa.gov.scot
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.095
Second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), a key component of rodent management strategies, have been detected in a range of non-target wildlife species. In the UK, an industry-led stewardship scheme was introduced in 2016 in efforts to reduce this. The scheme developed compulsory best practice guidance on the use of anticoagulant rodenticides, introduced sales restrictions tied to a requirement for formal training and also monitors retailer compliance with the restrictions. Rule changes also permitted brodifacoum, difethialone and flocoumafen to be used outdoors ‘in and around buildings’, having previously been restricted to indoor use only. Brodifacoum is considered to be more potent than other dominant SGARs, so this rule change could have potential implications for non-target wildlife.
Here we present findings of recent research in Scotland, investigating the impact of stewardship on rate of exposure and concentration of SGARs in foxes and buzzards, with a particular focus on brodifacoum. We also briefly discuss trends in brodifacoum exposure in other species and provide context on rodenticide use from surveys of key sectors. No reduction in rate of exposure or concentration of SGARs was observed in study species. Exposure to brodifacoum doubled in foxes and almost tripled in buzzards post-stewardship. They were both also more likely to be exposed to multiple SGARs post-stewardship. Recent rodenticide usage surveys suggest that brodifacoum represents a greater proportion of total rodenticides used in Scotland in recent years compared to pre-stewardship surveys. However, overall rodenticide use, in sectors for which data are available, has decreased in the same time period. In the absence of sales data, it is unclear whether the sectors surveyed are representative of total use, or if poor compliance could explain the increase in wildlife exposure to brodifacoum.
This work adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that the UK industry-led stewardship scheme has not yet met its objective of reducing non-target wildlife exposure to rodenticides. The increase in the frequency of brodifacoum exposure in all species investigated is of particular concern. Continued monitoring of residues will be important as future rule changes are introduced. Further modifications to rodenticide usage under stewardship may also be necessary to reduce non-target exposure of wildlife to anticoagulant rodenticides.
Cerkvenik-Flajs, Vesna1*; Schenke, Detlef2; Korenjak-Černe, Simona3; Perpar, Anton4; Jacob, Jens5; Schwonbeck, Susanne6; Kleine Bardenhorst, Sven7; Torsten, Hahn6; Cvetko, Marko1; Gombač, Mitja1
1 University of Ljubljana, Veterinary Faculty, Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2 Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Ecological Chemistry, Plant Analysis and Stored Product Protection, Berlin, Germany
3 University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business & Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics, Ljubljana, Slovenia
4 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Agronomy, Ljubljana, Slovenia
5 Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI) - Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Rodent Research, Münster, Germany
6 Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine ITEM, Hannover, Germany
7 University of Münster, Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Clinical Epidemiology, Germany
* vesna.cerkvenik.flajs@vf.uni-lj.si
DOI: 10.20315/evmc.2025.096
Rodenticides as biocidal products are regulated by the Biocidal Products Regulation (EU) 528/2012 and 11 of the originally authorized 16 active substances are now in a renewal phase. Risk assessment including the assessment of secondary exposure is part of the substance evaluation. It is particularly important for anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) that can be harmful to non-target wildlife and domestic animals. The residues of eight ARs and α-chloralose were monitored in domestic cats (Felis catus) in Slovenia. From 2021 to 2022, carcasses of 99 animals originating from veterinary clinics, animal shelters and roadkill were collected. Rodenticides were extracted from liver tissue and measured by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. Residues of at least one rodenticide were detected in 65% of samples. The ARs brodifacoum (54% of samples), bromadiolone (25%) and coumatetralyl (21%) were most common. We determined brodifacoum at concentrations of ≥800 ng/g in 3 of 99 cat liver (3%), and one of these (1%) contained residues of >1,800 ng/g, which seems sufficient to cause mortality. α-chloralose was found in one sample (1.0%) at 561.7 ng/g. Two older animals living outdoors contained hepatic residues of four ARs. Exposure of cats to ARs is prevalent but seems lower than in predatory wildlife.
Individual characteristics of cats (sex, age, roaming in/outdoors) did not affect the occurrence or concentration of liver residues but environmental factors did. The number of rodenticides present was positively associated with human population density as well as rural land use and was negatively associated with farm density. A similar trend was evident for the presence of brodifacoum and bromadiolone. The concentration of brodifacoum was higher at low farm density.
The results highlight a potential environmental problem related to the ARs in a pet species – a group of animals rarely considered in this regard. As the study indicates an ecotoxicological risk for domestic cats in Slovenia, any kind of asymptomatic secondary poisoning related to rodenticides should be monitored in the future to identify the relevance of the issue apart from mortality.