Reintroduction includes the captive propagation and movement of extirpated animals or plants into areas of historical and native distribution. Many biotic or abiotic factors can affect a founder population when small numbers are released into unfamiliar novel environments, particularly at the early stage of reintroduction. The inclusion of behavioural and ecological components plays a crucial role in the decision-making process of endangered species conservation efforts such as reintroduction. Since the resident population of Oriental Storks Ciconia boyciana was locally extirpated in South Korea in 1971, its founders have been established through reintroduction since 2015. The aim of this study was to investigate the demography, habitat use, and movement patterns of stork founders using the first two-year demographic and tracking data. Stork founders maintained their population size, which slightly increased in the long term. The patterns of habitat use and movement depended on rice paddy fields for foraging and breeding along with mixed effects of breeding status and season. Considering ecological and life history-related perspectives, we also discuss the potential adaptiveness of founder Oriental Storks as a resident population in a novel environment in South Korea.

The unavoidable impact of roads on arboreal fauna in protected areas has received little attention. We investigated this impact on two gibbon species in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand: two groups had home ranges traversed by roads (roadside groups) and another two lived nearby roads (interior groups). Roads partially delineated the edges of home ranges of roadside groups, and gibbons crossed them only at a few locations. Gibbons’ space use decreased near roads for roadside groups and showed road reluctance as their crossing rates were smaller than those produced by a null movement model. Generalised linear models (GLMs) indicated that a long canopy gap reduced gibbons’ crossing probability, whereas forest cover had a positive effect. A large part of the road network had a low probability of being crossed by gibbons according to GLMs, especially at areas around park headquarters. Roads were still relatively permeable to gibbon movement with a mean 35% crossing probability. The relatively short and narrow road network in the park constitutes a positive assessment of the standards of how roads should be built in protected areas. Nonetheless, this assessment might be the consequence of the park being set in a mountainous region with difficulties of road development.

To evaluate the feasibility of reintroduction as a tool for conservation of the jaguar Panthera onca, we adapted the IUCN soft release protocol to reintroduce two jaguars in the southern Pantanal, Brazil. After being kept at rescue centres for 13 months, the jaguars were moved to a 1-ha enclosure with native vegetation on a 53,000 ha ranch in the Pantanal, where hunting is not allowed and prey is abundant. In the enclosure, the animals were fed with meat, dead animals (roadkill) and then, progressively, live wild prey. After 11 months, the jaguars were fitted with collars equipped with GPS/VHF (recording one location per hour) and accelerometers, and released in the same area. The animals established residence near the enclosure, with home ranges, movement parameters, daily activity patterns and prey consumption similar to that recorded in previous studies. Social interaction and reproduction indicated the reintroduction was successful, and that it can be a tool for the species' survival in areas where the jaguar population is in decline.

The coast of Aragua is a home of bottlenose dolphins (BND), Atlantic spotted dolphins (ASD) and fishermen (FIS) from four towns. A photo-identification study was carried out on BND to estimate their home ranges. From 2004 to 2008, 100 field surveys were carried out along 30 km of coastline (92.12 km2). In each sighting of BND, information regarding date, time, latitude/longitude and photographs were registered (ASD and FIS were registered without photography). The data were analysed using a Geographic Information System to estimate Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and Fixed Kernel (FK) at 95%. The home ranges of BND were estimated for seven individuals. This included three females (29–31 sightings) with estimated areas ranging from 33.90–39.90 km2 with MCP (36.79–43.31% of the study area) and from 80.47–101.31 km2 with FK (109.97–104.26%). For the remaining four dolphins (14–20 sightings) the estimated areas ranged from 9.67–22.34 km2 (MCP), the predominant depth of these home ranges varied from 51–100 m (χ2 = 24.5, df = 2, P = 4.785 × 10−6). For the pods of ASD the estimated area ranged 75.23 km2 with MCP (81.66%) and 119.86 km2 with FK (130.11%) with predominant depths of 101–200 m (χ2 = 24.5, df = 2, P = 4.785 × 10−6). The area used by FIS ranged 93.27 km2 by MCP and 228.49 km2 by FK. Finally, the overlap area of BND, ASD and FIS ranged 24.75 km2 (26.86%). We point out this locality presents important oceanographic and ecological aspects which deserve to be the subject of application of management plans for the conservation of its habitat and species.

Different methods to measure species behaviour and space use may produce diverging results, and provide advantages and shortcomings. Data from spot-mapping of animals might be affected from restricted detectability of individuals in dense vegetation, while radio-tracking provides a less biased (or even unbiased) measure of space use. Here we compare results from spot-mapping and telemetry of four family groups (i.e. five individuals belonging to these four family groups), respectively of the Kenyan endemic cooperative-breeding bird Hinde's babbler, Turdoides hindei. Data from spot-mapping showed that the space use of T. hindei is mostly restricted to riparian vegetation. Home-range sizes calculated from telemetry were five times larger if compared with data obtained from spot-mapping. Telemetry data showed that T. hindei also moves across agricultural land, and mean and maximum displacements are larger if compared with data obtained from spot-mapping. Several reasons might lead to these differences: (1) Telemetry data also consider rare long-distance excursions, while (2) observers of spot-mapping might fail to observe long-distance movements and thus underestimate home-range sizes as well as displacement distances; (3) results from telemetry might become blurred from measurement error during the triangulation of fixes. Our study confirms that both methods provide advantages, but also shortcomings, which need to be considered when selecting a method to elaborate a research question.

White-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis L. are the most frequently recorded procellariiform species in the bycatch of Southern Hemisphere longline fisheries. Our study investigated the year-round movements of ten adult white-chinned petrels (seven breeders, three non-breeders/suspected pre-breeders) from Marion Island tracked with global location sensor (GLS) loggers for three years. Additionally, 20 global positioning system (GPS) tracks were obtained from breeding white-chinned petrels during incubation (n=9) and chick-rearing (n=11). All GLS-tagged birds remained, year-round, in the area between southern Africa and Antarctica, not making any major east/west movements. Three core areas (50% kernels) were utilized: around the Prince Edward Islands (PEI; incubation and early chick-rearing), c. 1000 km west of PEI (pre-breeding and early incubation) and around South Africa (non-breeding birds). The only area where 50% utilization kernels overlapped with intensive longline fishing effort was off the Agulhas Bank (non-breeding season). Our results confirm the lack of foraging overlap between the two subspecies; nominate birds (South Georgia/south-western Indian Ocean) utilize separate areas to P. a. steadi (New Zealand/sub-Antarctic islands), and thus should be treated as separate management units. Knowledge of the year-round movements of a vagile species, such as the white-chinned petrel, is important for its continued conservation.

In 2015 10 Iberian lynxes Lynx pardinus were released in south-eastern Portugal, within the framework of a Spanish–Portuguese reintroduction project. We examined each individual's use of space and social interactions during the first year after their release. Lynxes were selected for reintroduction according to behavioural, genetic and health criteria and fitted with collars with VHF and global positioning systems. Both males and females went through an exploratory phase that lasted 65–105 days. The lynxes did not exhibit any movement directionality from the release site during the exploratory period. During August–December 2015 a stable nucleus comprising seven individuals (four males, three females) was established south-west of the release enclosure. Although the males had a slightly larger mean home range (11.18 ± SE 1.36 km2) than females (9.87 ± SE 8.71 km2), the difference was not significant. The knowledge obtained during the first year of the lynx reintroduction project in Portugal is critical to support the future of this reintroduction strategy. Our results suggest that once the soft release technique is no longer possible because of logistical constraints on the construction of more enclosures, new individuals should be released in unoccupied areas surrounded by occupied territories. This will promote strong social ties to the resident population and prevent lynx dispersal.

Species with specific habitat requirements often remain within their habitat and are characterized by a very sedentary behaviour. We used radio-tracking during a 3-wk campaign to investigate the home ranges and movements of three East African passerine bird species, all adapted to cloud-forest habitats: montane white-eye Zosterops poliogaster mbuluensis, stripe-cheeked greenbul Andropadus milanjensis and white-starred robin Pogonocichla stellata macarthuri. Individuals were observed in a forest-grassland mosaic on top of Chyulu Hills, south Kenya. Based on 15 individuals with a total of 1041 fixes, we found (1) that all three species show a sedentary behaviour restricted to their home forest patch; (2) least activity during the afternoon; and (3) re-colonization into its home patch after translocation into a nearby forest patch. Our findings underline that forest-specialist bird species of the tropics show high site fidelity despite their potential movement ability.

A population of Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx was established by reintroductions in the Bohemian Forest Ecosystem in the 1970s and 1980s. The most recent information on the population status indicates that the distribution has stagnated since the late 1990s, for unknown reasons. We assessed the availability of suitable habitat along the Austrian–German–Czech border, and hypothesized that the Bohemian–Bavarian lynx population is not in equilibrium with habitat suitability. Based on global positioning system data from 10 radio-collared lynx, we used a maximum entropy approach to model suitable habitat. Variables reflecting anthropogenic influence contributed most to the model and were negatively associated with the occurrence of lynx. We evaluated the model prediction using independent records of lynx from monitoring in Bavaria, Germany. Using our habitat approach we estimated the area of potential habitat, based on a mean annual home range of 445 km2 for males and 122 km2 for females. Our results indicated there were 12,415 km2 of suitable habitat, distributed among 13 patches, for a potential population of c. 142 (93–160) resident lynx. We assessed connectivity via least-cost paths and found that all suitable patches could be reached by the lynx. A comparison with the current distribution of lynx, however, confirms that a significant proportion of suitable habitat is not occupied, which indicates that the distribution is limited by factors other than habitat, with illegal killing being the most likely cause. Our study provides crucial information for the development of a conservation strategy and regional planning for the Bohemian–Bavarian lynx population.

Ascension Island in the South Atlantic Ocean is renowned for its globally-important nesting population of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) that has been the subject of long-term research. By comparison, very little is known about the apparently small population of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) that have been recorded in its waters, thousands of kilometres from known nesting beaches. Here, we collate 10 years of in-water tagging data, opportunistic public sighting records and underwater observations to provide a baseline for future research, and present preliminary data on habitat use derived from two individuals fitted with GPS transmitters. Although public sightings were inevitably biased towards popular recreation areas, the resulting distribution suggests that hawksbill turtles occur year round in Ascension Island's waters along the entire 65 km of coastline. Hawksbills were observed feeding on benthic algae and encrusting sponges, and were frequently seen scavenging on fish discards around the Island's pier at night aided by anthropogenic lighting. Between 2003 and 2013, 35 turtles were captured, measured, tagged and then released. Curved carapace lengths ranged from 33.5 to 85 cm (mean = 48.8 cm) indicating that most (if not all) individuals encountered around Ascension are post-pelagic juveniles. Four individuals were recaptured at least once giving a mean minimum residence time of 4.2 yr (range: 2.8–7.3 yr) and a mean growth rate of 2.8 cm yr−1. Turtles fitted with Fastloc™ GPS devices remained at Ascension Island for the duration of the study (>90 days) and occupied restricted home ranges with an average area of 2.5 km2 and an average ‘core use area’ (50% utilization distribution) of 0.05 km2. Together, these results suggest that Ascension Island serves as a mid-Atlantic developmental habitat for benthic-feeding, juvenile hawksbill turtles on extended oceanic migrations before recruiting to their adult foraging grounds, likely to be located in Brazil or tropical West Africa.

Wildlife reservoir hosts of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) include Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) and brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in the UK and New Zealand, respectively. Similar species warrant further investigation in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan, USA due to the continued presence of bTB on cattle farms. Most research in Michigan, USA has focused on interactions between white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and cattle (Bos taurus) for the transmission of the infectious agent of bTB, Mycobacterium bovis, due to high deer densities and feeding practices. However, limited data are available on medium-sized mammals such as Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana; hereafter referred to as opossum) and their movements and home range in Michigan near cattle farms. We conducted surveillance of medium-sized mammals on previously depopulated cattle farms for presence of M. bovis infections and equipped opossum with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to assess potential differences in home range between farms inside and outside the bTB core area that has had cattle test positive for M. bovis. On farms inside the bTB core area, prevalence in opossum was comparable [6%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2·0–11·0] to prevalence in raccoon (Procyon lotor; 4%, 95% CI 1·0–9·0, P = 0·439) whereas only a single opossum tested positive for M. bovis on farms outside the bTB core area. The prevalence in opossum occupying farms that had cattle test positive for M. bovis was higher (6·4%) than for opossum occupying farms that never had cattle test positive for M. bovis (0·9%, P = 0·01). Mean size of home range for 50% and 95% estimates were similar by sex (P = 0·791) both inside or outside the bTB core area (P = 0·218). Although surveillance efforts and home range were not assessed on the same farms, opossum use of farms near structures was apparent as was selection for farms over surrounding forested habitats. The use of farms, stored feed, and structures by opossum, their ability to serve as vectors of M. bovis, and their propensity to ingest contaminated sources of M. bovis requires additional research in Michigan, USA.

Arid Mediterranean regions that shelter unique biodiversity are threatened by increasing anthropogenic pressures, such as urbanization, overgrazing and climate change. In Morocco, one of the main bush species in arid areas, the jujube (Ziziphus lotus), suffers from officially promoted programmes of removal. The Moorish tortoise (Testudo graeca soussensis) is threatened by such habitat loss. Like most animals, the Moorish tortoise must navigate between microhabitats to find essential feeding resources and thermal refuges. This study combined radio-tracking of free-ranging individuals, microhabitat temperature monitoring and transects in a range of habitats. Tortoises were found to depend on the occurrence of large and relatively abundant bushes to escape lethal overheating. Thus, (1) current official encouragements for the destruction of the jujube bushes should be reappraised; (2) habitat restoration relying on replanting jujube bush should be encouraged; and (3) large-scale monitoring of critical bush densities should be used to better organize conservation plans (protection and/or restoration of areas) for the Moorish tortoise.

Basic information required to conserve wild tigers Panthera tigris is lacking for the Bangladesh Sundarbans. The objectives of this study were therefore to estimate tiger home range size and obtain information on movement. Two adult female tigers were captured in the south-east of the Sundarbans and fitted with global positioning system collars. Mean home range sizes for the two tigers estimated with 95% minimum convex polygon and fixed kernel methods were 12.3 and 14.2 km2, respectively. A mean female home range size of 14.2 km2 would indicate a density for the south-east Sundarbans of seven adult females per 100 km2. The maximum distance moved by a tiger in 1 day was 11.3 km. Although preliminary these home range estimates indicate that the Sundarbans of Bangladesh has good quality tiger habitat relative to other tiger landscapes, highlighting the value of this mangrove ecosystem for the survival of this Endangered species.

Home ranges of seven Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) (Van Bénéden, 1864) were studied in the Cananéia estuary (~25°03′S 47°55′W), south-eastern Brazil. Boat-based observations were conducted from May 2000 to July 2003 in ~132 km2 of protected inner waters. The photo-identification technique was used to follow naturally marked individuals through time and space. From a total of 138 catalogued individuals, five males and two females presented 20+ sightings and were used for home range estimation. Sightings were plotted and analysed in a Geographic Information System (GIS). With the ‘Home Range Tools’ extension the fixed kernel density estimator with band width (smoothing parameter) chosen via least squares cross-validation was performed for each individual. The fixed kernel method was used to estimate the non-parametric utility distribution of each dolphin, keeping band width (h) constant for a data set. The first polygons created by these parameters had an amoeboid shape and in some cases more than one centre of activity. The 95% home range estimated outlines varied from 1.6 to 22.9 km2 (7.9 ± 8.3 km2). This large interval shows strong evidences on individual variation in S. guianensis' home ranges. Several individuals showed small home ranges when compared to other cetacean species. An overlap of home ranges of different sizes and shapes were observed for Guiana dolphins with large range movements. Centres of activity were concentrated in the main entrance of the Cananéia estuary. This was a first attempt to understand the way S. guianensis uses the Cananéia estuary and such data are essential for conservation and management purposes.

Studland Bay contains an extensive seagrass (Zostera marina) bed and two species of seahorse: spiny (Hippocampus guttulatus) and short snouted (H. hippocampus). All are protected under UK and international legislation. Five H. guttulatus have been tagged and all re-sighted several times within the seagrass bed. Home ranges of 30–400m2 were found. The three tagged males have all been observed to be pregnant throughout the summer months suggesting up to five broods per year. On one occasion the courtship display was recorded. This study has demonstrated the value of volunteer divers in monitoring which would not have been so successful without them. This project arose from concerns over negative impacts of boat anchoring and mooring on the seagrass habitat. It is hoped that the insights gained into site fidelity, territory size and breeding ecology of the seahorses will contribute to management plans for this unique site.

The Rideau Canal in Canada was constructed in the 1800s to enable strategic military andcommercial transport in eastern Ontario between Lake Ontario and the Ottawa River. Today,the Rideau Canal is managed by Parks Canada and remains an engineered ecosystem,particularly in the urban Ottawa reach (7 km long) where it is largely channelized and ispartially drained during the winter to protect canal infrastructure (i.e., locks) andprovide recreational opportunities (i.e., skating). Interestingly, the Ottawa reach of theRideau Canal supports one of the few wild urban muskellunge (Esoxmasquinongy) fisheries in North America supported by natural reproduction.However, little is known about the spatial ecology, residency patterns or survival of thisapex freshwater predator in urban environments or canal systems. Radio-telemetry was usedto study adult (N = 10; total size range of 64 to 122 cm) muskellunge inthe Ottawa reach of the Rideau Canal over a multiple year period. The seasonal movementsand home range of muskellunge were greatest during spring corresponding with the periodwhen water levels in the canal were raised and muskellunge were presumably seeking outsuitable spawning habitats following ice-off. During the summer fish ranged throughout theentire 7 km urban reach of the canal and by early fall muskellunge moved to the deeperparts of the reach and became largely restricted to an embayment known as Dow’s Lake priorto the lowering of the canal where they stayed for the entire winter. The same pattern ofseasonal movements persisted across several years. None of the tagged muskellunge werestranded from the fall canal drainage. One fish emigrated from the urban reach of thecanal during the study period, moving upstream through a lock to an exurban reach. Inaddition, a single tagged fish died from a winterkill event. Environmental influences suchas seasonality and water depth (associated with canal operations) are believed to be theprimary mechanisms contributing to habitat selection and movement patterns of muskellungein this reach of the Rideau Canal. Data on the spatial ecology of muskellunge in the urbanreaches of the Rideau Canal will inform management of this unique population of fish toensure that the historic and ecological values are balanced to preserve this iconicCanadian natural heritage site and its biota.