The effects of maternal penning on the movement ecology of mountain caribou

• Published in: Animal conservation Vol. 26; no. 1; pp. 72 - 85
• Main Authors: Ford, A. T., Noonan, M. J., Bollefer, K., Gill, R., Legebokow, C., Serrouya, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.02.2023
• Subjects: Animals; Biology; Breeding; Captive breeding; Captivity; Caribou; Conservation; Conservation biology; Ecological effects; Ecology; Habitats; Home range; home range size; Landscape; maternity pen; mountain caribou; Mountains; Movement ecology; Predators; restoration; Translocation; Wildlife conservation; Wildlife habitats; Wildlife management; Wildlife restoration
• ISSN: 1367-9430; 1469-1795
• DOI: 10.1111/acv.12801

Translocation and captivity are important tools for conservation biology and wildlife management. Understanding the movement ecology of animals following their release in novel terrain is critical to predicting the success of wildlife restoration efforts. Mountain caribou have high conservation value – efforts to restore their populations across western Canada involve hundreds of millions of dollars in science, monitoring, and management activity. Here, we examined the movements of adult female caribou (N = 36) following their translocation to, and release from, a maternity pen (‘penned caribou’) and compared these movements to animals that were not translocated (‘unpenned caribou’, N = 22). A maternity pen is a temporary holding facility, within the animals’ existing range, that enables them to bear and raise their young in the absence of predators and with augmented resources. Penned and unpenned animals had similar home range sizes (1052.2 and 1314.6 km2, respectively, P = 0.46) though penned animals moved through the landscape in a faster yet less directed manner. We found some evidence that memory may improve the efficiency of space use. Home ranges with higher quality habitats tended to be smaller than home ranges with poorer quality habitats irrespective of penning status. Penned animals ranged at lower elevation (~150 m) than unpenned animals, particularly in spring and early winter. For penned animals, we did not detect evidence of homing back to the original capture site. The best predictor of how caribou will use the landscape appears to be proximity to the location of the release site. To maximize the fitness of released caribou, future plans for maternity pens and captive breeding programs need to consider the management of food, predators, and habitat across the 1000–2000 km2 that will form the home range near the release site. We examined the movements of adult female southern mountain caribou following their translocation to, and release from, a maternity pen and compared these movements to animals that were not translocated. We found that penned animals established home ranges in and around the vicinity of the maternal pen, with few differences in movement behaviour between penned and unpenned individuals. To maximize the fitness of released caribou, future plans for maternity pens and captive breeding programs need to consider the management of food, predators, and habitat across the 1000–2000 km2 that will form the home range near the release site.