Behavior as a Rapid Indicator of Reintroduction and Translocation Success for a Cryptic Mammal, the New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis)

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-2023

Abstract

Interactions between animals and their environments are reflected in behavior, which is an indicator of perceived risk and habitat quality. Behavioral studies can therefore provide a rapid assessment of conservation actions. We evaluated the behavior of reintroduced and translocated New England cottontails (Sylvilagus transitionalis)– a species for which the benefits of habitat management, reintroductions, and translocations have been difficult to demonstrate via demographic studies. We first used a random forests model to create a behavioral library for the species using triaxial accelerometers deployed on captive animals that were also monitored with video. We then applied our library to compare time-activity budgets among wild catch-and-release rabbits, wild-caught translocated rabbits, and rabbits introduced into the wild from a captive population. Our library included six behaviors (feeding, grooming, vigilant, movement, resting, and investigating) with an overall classification accuracy of 96.63% and class error rates

Publication Title

Journal of Mammalology

Volume

104

Issue

4

DOI of Published Version

10.1093/jmammal/gyad023

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