The landscape configuration and lethality of snare poaching of sympatric guilds of large carnivores and ungulates

Intact, under-patrolled forests harbor widespread prey but a male-biased tiger population in the Ulu Masen Ecosystem, Sumatra, Indonesia

Conservation of threatened species is dependent on consistent population monitoring. We present the first status assessment of critically endangered Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) and their prey in the Ulu Masen Ecosystem, Aceh, Indonesia. Our estimates of tiger habitat use are the first reported for a Sumatran ecosystem unprotected at the national level. During 6,732 trap nights accumulated over 23 months of camera-trap monitoring in 2020 and 2022, tigers were detected 39 times at 16 of the 52 stations. We identified 11 individual tigers but sex ratios were highly skewed: 8 males, 1 female, and 2 individuals of unknown sex. Cubs were not photographed either year and we did not observe evidence of tiger reproduction. Tiger habitat use (Ѱ = 0.52, SE = 0.15) was negatively influenced by human disturbance and positively influenced by elevation but those associations were not significant. Our study documents a widespread prey base but uncovers demographic characteristics of tigers indicative of heavy poaching pressures. We conclude that tiger-targeted protection is urgently needed to ensure the species' persistence in Ulu Masen which, together with the adjacent Leuser Ecosystem, represents the largest contiguous tiger conservation landscape remaining in Sumatra.

Evaluating the effects of giraffe skin disease and wire snare wounds on the gaits of free-ranging Nubian giraffe

Giraffe skin disease (GSD), a condition that results in superficial lesions in certain giraffe (Giraffa spp.) populations, has emerged as a potential conservation threat. Preliminary findings suggested that individuals with GSD lesions move with greater difficulty which may in turn reduce their foraging efficiency or make them more vulnerable to predation. A current known threat to some giraffe populations is their mortality associated with entrapment in wire snares, and the morbidity and potential locomotor deficiencies associated with wounds acquired from snares. The goal of our study was to quantify the locomotor kinematics of free-ranging Nubian giraffe (G. camelopardalis camelopardalis) in Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP), Uganda, and compare spatiotemporal limb and neck angle kinematics of healthy giraffe to those of giraffe with GSD lesions, snare wounds, and both GSD lesions and snare wounds. The presence of GSD lesions did not significantly affect spatiotemporal limb kinematic parameters. This finding is potentially because lesions were located primarily on the necks of Nubian giraffe in MFNP. The kinematic parameters of individuals with snare wounds differed from those of healthy individuals, resulting in significantly shorter stride lengths, reduced speed, lower limb phase values, and increased gait asymmetry. Neck angle kinematic parameters did not differ among giraffe categories, which suggests that GSD neck lesions do not impair normal neck movements and range of motion during walking. Overall, MFNP giraffe locomotor patterns are largely conservative between healthy individuals and those with GSD, while individuals with snare wounds showed more discernible kinematic adjustments consistent with unilateral limb injuries. Additional studies are recommended to assess spatiotemporal limb kinematics of giraffe at sites where lesions are found predominantly on the limbs to better assess the potential significance of GSD on their locomotion.

Socio-economic factors correlating with illegal use of giraffe body parts

Unsustainable hunting, both illegal and legal, has led to the extirpation of many species. In the last 35 years giraffe Giraffa spp. populations have declined precipitously, with extinctions documented in seven African countries. Amongst the various reasons for these population declines, poaching is believed to play an important role in some areas. Giraffes are primarily hunted for consumption and for the use of their body parts as trophies and in traditional medicine. However, the socio-economic factors that correlate with the use of giraffe body parts are not well understood. We conducted our study in Tsavo Conservation Area, Kenya, which experiences high levels of poaching. We used semi-structured surveys amongst 331 households to document how giraffe body parts are typically acquired and their intended use (i.e. trophy, medicinal or consumptive). We then used logistic regression models to assess the correlations between nine socio-economic factors and the use of giraffe body parts. We found that giraffe body parts had mostly consumptive and trophy uses. One-time suppliers, opportunistic access and widely known markets were the most common means of acquiring giraffe body parts. Results from our models showed that three variables (gender: men, occupation: tourism worker, and land ownership) were correlated significantly and positively with the use of giraffe body parts. We describe the complex links between socio-economic factors and the use of giraffe body parts and highlight the importance of implementing mitigation measures adapted to local contexts to combat a challenge that many species of conservation concern are facing.

Integrating Social Justice into Higher Education Conservation Science

Because biodiversity loss has largely been attributed to human actions, people, particularly those in the Global South, are regularly depicted as threats to conservation. This context has facilitated rapid growth in green militarization, with fierce crackdowns against real or perceived environmental offenders. We designed an undergraduate course to assess student perspectives on biodiversity conservation and social justice and positioned those students to contribute to a human heritage-centered conservation (HHCC) initiative situated in Uganda. We evaluated changes in perspectives using pre- and postcourse surveys and reflection instruments. Although the students started the course prioritizing biodiversity conservation, even when it was costly to human well-being, by the end of the course, they were recognizing and remarking on the central importance of social justice within conservation. We present a framework for further integration of HHCC approaches into higher education courses so as to conserve the integrity of coupled human and natural systems globally.

Phylogeny is a stronger predictor of activity than allometry in an African mammal community

In promoting coexistence, sympatric species often partition shared resources along spatio-temporal domains. Similarly sized and phylogenetically close species, for instance, partition the times of day in which they are active to limit interference competition. Given that variation in species body mass has evolutionary underpinnings, species activity levels (time spent active in a 24-h daily cycle) within animal communities might be structured by phylogeny. However, few studies have tested this hypothesis across animal communities, and none among medium-sized to large mammals. We quantified the relative contributions of phylogeny and body mass in predicting activity levels in a community of 22 sympatric mammal species in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda. We show that phylogeny is a stronger predictor of species activity levels than body mass. Our findings provide empirical evidence for the phylogenetic structuring of mammal activity in diverse communities. More broadly, our results suggest that evolutionary relationships mask allometry in predicting species traits in diverse animal communities.