1
|
Marin C, Werno J, LE Campion G, Couderchet L. Navigating discreetly: Spatial ecology of urban wild boar in Bordeaux City's landscape of fear, France. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 954:176436. [PMID: 39312969 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2024] [Revised: 08/19/2024] [Accepted: 09/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
An exemplary urban adapter, the wild boar (Sus scrofa) has successfully colonized urban ecological niches worldwide. Improvement of strategies for optimal management of urban wild boar need to gather more empirical evidence of their spatial ecology. This study is based on GPS tracking and capture-mark-recapture (CMR) of 10 and 59 wild boar, respectively, captured in Bordeaux Metropolis (France). It shows that wild boar have become urban dwellers, with intra-urban home ranges varying from 1.3 to 64.6 km2 (MCP 100 %) and from 0.5 to 9.6 km2 (KDE 95 %), depending on urban conditions. CMR results confirm the low propensity to move away from urban areas (with a mean distance of 2 km between capture and recapture sites), despite a relatively low one-year survival rate since capture (47.5 %), primarily attributable to removal efforts. Wild boar strongly depended on urban woods, mostly during daytime resting, and highly frequented urban meadows during night foraging. Their use of urban agricultural areas was minimal, but they were mostly monitored following corn and grape harvests. Wild boar mitigated the risk associated with close proximity to humans by: a nocturnal activity (72.2 % of active locations registered from sunset to sunrise), which could also be partially attributed to their sensitivity to heat; a strong use of covered habitats, especially during daytime resting and when close to buildings and roads; and a low mobility during night-time foraging (1974 m average daily distance travelled). Moreover, we demonstrate high inter- and intra-individual variability in the spatio-temporal behaviour of urban wild boar. Finally, we discuss the gap between these results and the narratives surrounding the spatial ecology of urban wild boar. Our results not only confirm the species' ability to adapt to urban environments, but also highlight their behavioural flexibility, underscoring the relevance of significant changes in representations and management activities to mitigate human-urban wild boar conflicts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carole Marin
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) - Laboratoire Passages CNRS 5319, 12 Esplanade des Antilles, 33600 Pessac, France.
| | - Jérôme Werno
- Ministère de la Transition écologique et solidaire, Gironde Hunting Federation - Capet, 33290 Ludon-Médoc, France
| | - Grégoire LE Campion
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) - Laboratoire Passages CNRS 5319, 12 Esplanade des Antilles, 33600 Pessac, France.
| | - Laurent Couderchet
- Michel de Montaigne University Bordeaux 3, Geography Department, Laboratoire Passages CNRS 5319, 12 Esplanade des Antilles, 33600 Pessac, France.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Escobar-González M, López-Martín JM, Mentaberre G, Valldeperes M, Estruch J, Tampach S, Castillo-Contreras R, Conejero C, Roldán J, Lavín S, Serrano E, López-Olvera JR. Evaluating hunting and capture methods for urban wild boar population management. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 940:173463. [PMID: 38802001 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Wild ungulates are expanding in range and number worldwide leading to an urgent need to manage their populations to minimize conflicts and promote coexistence with humans. In the metropolitan area of Barcelona (MAB), wild boar is the main wildlife species causing a nuisance, from traffic accidents to health risks. Selective harvesting of specific sex and age classes and reducing anthropogenic food resources would be the most efficient approach to dealing with overpopulation. Nonetheless, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the age and sex selectivity of the capture methods currently applied in the MAB for wild boar population control. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the performance and age and sex bias of different hunting and capture methods and the seasonal patterns in their performance (number of captured individuals per event). From February 2014 to August 2022, 1454 wild boars were captured in the MAB using drop net, teleanaesthesia, cage traps, night stalks, and drive hunting. We applied generalized linear models (GLM) to compare the performance of these methods for the total number of wild boars, the wild boars belonging to each age category (i.e., adult, yearling, and juvenile), and for each season. The studied capture methods showed age-class bias and sex bias in adults (>2 years). Drive hunting and drop net removed mainly adult females and yearlings (1-2 years), with drive hunting having the highest performance for adult males. Instead, cage traps and drop net were the best methods to capture juveniles (<1 year). Overall, global performance was higher in summer, decreasingly followed by autumn and spring, winter being the worst performing season. Wildlife managers and researchers should consider the different performance and sex and age bias of each hunting and capture method, as well as the associated public cost, to improve efficiency and achieve the best results in wild boar population management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- María Escobar-González
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Josep-Maria López-Martín
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Departament d'Acció Climàtica, Alimentació i Agenda Rural, Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain
| | - Gregorio Mentaberre
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Ciència Animal, Escola Tècnica Superior d'Enginyeria Agraria (ETSEA), Universitat de Lleida (UdL), Lleida, Spain
| | - Marta Valldeperes
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Estruch
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Stefania Tampach
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raquel Castillo-Contreras
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Fundación Artemisan, Avda. Rey Santo 8, 13001 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Carles Conejero
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Roldán
- Forestal Catalana SA, Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Santiago Lavín
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Emmanuel Serrano
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jorge Ramón López-Olvera
- Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Conejero C, González-Crespo C, Fatjó J, Castillo-Contreras R, Serrano E, Lavín S, Mentaberre G, López-Olvera JR. Between conflict and reciprocal habituation: Human-wild boar coexistence in urban areas. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 936:173258. [PMID: 38761929 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Urbanization is an ongoing global environmental change. Wildlife may respond using anthropized environments and resources, which is known as synurbization, creating human-wildlife interactions. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations have become common in urban areas, including the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Humans respond to wild boars in urban environments either habituating, with lower conflict perception and higher wild boar acceptance, or sensitizing, with reduced tolerance towards wild boars. Since citizen response influences conflict management, this study analysed the drivers of human responses, which should allow adopting socially-accepted measures to manage synurbic wild boar populations. Interviews to 1956 Barcelona citizens were performed, grouping the response variables to score citizen and urban characteristics, as well as citizen lay-knowledge, emotions, experiences, and perception of wild boar. Five citizen clusters were identified: cluster 1 (3.3 %), highly habituated and active wild boar feeder; cluster 2 (11.3 %), habituated to wild boars with positive feelings; cluster 3 (19.8 %), not habituated nor sensitized, willing to maintain urban wild boar populations; cluster 4 (29.1 %), sensitized and concerned, defending to reduce wild boar; and cluster 5 (40.1 %), highly sensitized and proposing to reduce or even eliminate wild boar. Positive attitudes associated wild boar to aesthetic value, closeness to nature and sympathy, and were more frequent in young citizens with urban background and high education, animal lovers habituated to wild boar through contact without negative experiences. Conversely, negative attitudes were concerned about city fouling, safety or health, accepted lethal management measures, and were more frequent in older citizens with rural background, lower education, low contact with wild boar or sensitized through negative experiences. We document for the first time the sensitization and reciprocal habituation of humans to wild boar in urban areas. The identification of the drivers of citizen attitudes towards urban wildlife should be useful to design socially-accepted management measures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carles Conejero
- Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS) and Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carlos González-Crespo
- Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS) and Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaume Fatjó
- Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine (Affinity Foundation Chair for Animals and Health), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raquel Castillo-Contreras
- Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS) and Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Emmanuel Serrano
- Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS) and Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Santiago Lavín
- Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS) and Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gregorio Mentaberre
- Departament de Ciència Animal, Escola Tècnica Superior d'Enginyeria Agroalimentària i Forestal i de Veterinària (ETSEAFIV) and Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Universitat de Lleida (UdL), Lleida, Spain
| | - Jorge R López-Olvera
- Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS) and Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Westhoff KM, Fetzer A, Schwan Z, Büttner K, Lang J, Lierz M. Refining animal welfare of wild boar (Sus scrofa) corral-style traps through behavioral and pathological investigations. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303458. [PMID: 38771820 PMCID: PMC11108160 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Wild boar trapping has been used as a management tool to control wild boar populations. However, it is increasingly criticized due to animal welfare concerns. While cortisol levels have been used to assess trap-related stress in wild boar, data on trap-related injuries and behavioral data are scarce. We aimed to evaluate three different corral-style traps for wild boar according to available mammal trapping standards to investigate and refine animal welfare in wild boar trapping. We examined 138 wild boars captured and killed by head shot in 27 capture events. Traps were closed by remote control only if the complete group were trapped. The behavior of the animals in the trap and during culling was recorded on video. All wild boars were examined and a pathological and radiological examination of the heads for trap- and shot-related injuries followed. Trap-related injuries occurred in 33% of the animals with superficial mild skin defects to skull fractures. One out of three traps met all the set requirements. A wire-meshed trapping system failed all. After installing an incomplete barrier in the center of the trap to slow down trapped animals, the fracture rate in one trap type was significantly reduced by 29% (p < 0.05). Our data showed that the type of trap (p = 0.007) and the number of animals trapped at once (p = 0.002) had a significant influence on the number of escape attempts. Trapping larger groups reduced the escape attempts. We emphasize the importance of an accurate pathological examination to evaluate animal welfare in traps and call for adjusting the injury categories listed in the standards and make a proposal for wild boar live trapping.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katharina M. Westhoff
- Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hesse, Germany
| | - André Fetzer
- Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hesse, Germany
| | - Zarah Schwan
- Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hesse, Germany
| | - Kathrin Büttner
- Unit for Biomathematics and Data Processing, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hesse, Germany
| | - Johannes Lang
- Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hesse, Germany
| | - Michael Lierz
- Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hesse, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Carlos GC, Beatriz ML, Carles C, Raquel CC, Emmanuel S, Josep Maria LM, Jordi SC, Santiago L, Jorge Ramón LO. Assessing the epidemiological risk at the human-wild boar interface through a one health approach using an agent-based model in Barcelona, Spain. One Health 2023; 17:100598. [PMID: 37520846 PMCID: PMC10372376 DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2023.100598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Wild boar (WB, Sus scrofa) populations are increasing in urban areas, posing an epidemiological risk for zoonotic pathogens such as hepatitis E virus (HEV) and antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter (AMR-CAMP), as well as non-zoonotic pathogens such as African swine fever virus (ASFV). An epidemiological extension of a validated Agent-Based Model (ABM) was developed to assess the one-year epidemiological scenarios of HEV, AMR-CAMP, and ASFV in the synurbic WB-human interface in Barcelona, Spain. The predicted citizen exposure was similar for HEV and AMR-CAMP, at 0.79% and 0.80% of the human population in Barcelona, respectively, despite AMR-CAMP being more prevalent in the WB population than HEV. This suggests a major role of faeces in pathogen transmission to humans in urban areas, resulting in a non-negligible public health risk. The ASFV model predicted that the entire WB population would be exposed to the virus through carcasses (87.6%) or direct contact (12.6%) in 51-71 days after the first case, with an outbreak lasting 71-124 days and reducing the initial WB population by 95%. The ABM predictions are useful for animal and public health risk assessments and to support risk-based decision-making. The study underscores the need for interdisciplinary cooperation among animal, public, and environmental health managers, and the implementation of the One Health approach to address the epidemiological and public health risks posed by the synurbization of WB in urban areas. The spatially explicit epidemiological predictions of the ABM can be adapted to other diseases and scenarios at the wildlife-livestock-human interface.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- González-Crespo Carlos
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
- Center for Animal Disease Modeling and Surveillance, Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Martínez-López Beatriz
- Center for Animal Disease Modeling and Surveillance, Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Conejero Carles
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Castillo-Contreras Raquel
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Serrano Emmanuel
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - López-Martín Josep Maria
- Department of Climatic Action, Food and Rural Agenda, Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Serra-Cobo Jordi
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lavín Santiago
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - López-Olvera Jorge Ramón
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group and Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Stress Assessment of Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) in Corral-Style Traps Using Serum Cortisol Levels. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12213008. [PMID: 36359132 PMCID: PMC9654936 DOI: 10.3390/ani12213008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Corral-style traps for wild boar are used to reduce the number of wild boars. However, many people criticise these traps because of animal welfare issues such as stress and panic. While previous studies focused on behaviour and injuries, this study focused on the so-called stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol levels from trapped animals were compared with levels from animals shot during other hunting methods. Inside traps animals were killed by headshot within 2 h and 17 min after trapping and blood samples were directly taken. Cortisol levels were higher in wild boar killed in traps than in driven hunts and single hunts. Wild boar caught in groups of five or more showed lower cortisol levels than single animals or animals in smaller groups. Therefore, the time animals spend inside the trap and the time of culling all animals should be as short as possible. To reduce stress, it is better to capture larger groups of animals instead of single animals. For the evaluation of harm and stress for wild boar in live traps, cortisol levels alone are not sufficient. Additional information about the behaviour and injuries must be integrated. Abstract Capture of wild boar in corral-style traps with subsequent culling is increasingly used for population management. The method is debated due to animal welfare concerns making welfare studies in traps necessary. While previous studies focused on behaviour and injuries, this study dealt with the physiological aspect. Cortisol levels in wild boar caught in corral-style traps (50–90 qm2, n = 138) were compared with those killed during single (n = 37) and driven hunts (n = 90). Collected sera were purified by solid phase extraction (SPE) and analysed via radioimmunoassay. Cortisol levels in blood samples were stable under cooled (4–7 °C) conditions for a storage time of up to 87 h before centrifugation. Cortisol levels were significantly higher in wild boar killed in corral-style traps than during driven hunts and single hunts. Wild boar caught in groups of five or more showed lower cortisol levels than single animals or in smaller groups. Therefore, time span inside the trap and of culling should be reduced to a minimum, and capturing groups of animals should be preferred to reduce stress. For animal welfare assessment of wild boar live-trapping, additional data from behavioural analyses and pathological examinations must be integrated.
Collapse
|