TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluating mortality sources for the Vulnerable pudu Pudu puda in Chile
T2 - Implications for the conservation of a threatened deer
AU - Silva-Rodríguez, Eduardo A.
AU - Verdugo, Claudio
AU - Aleuy, O. Alejandro
AU - Sanderson, James G.
AU - Ortega-Solís, Gabriel R.
AU - Osorio-Zúñiga, Felipe
AU - González-Acuña, Daniel
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2010/1
Y1 - 2010/1
N2 - We assessed the importance of potential sources of mortality for the Vulnerable southern pudu Pudu puda in southern Chile using the clinical records of wildlife rehabilitation centres, necropsies of animals found in the field and a review of the diet of potential predators. To assess whether the identified mortality sources operate in nominally protected areas, we conducted a camera-trap survey in two areas to determine the presence of pudus and their potential predators. Predation by domestic dogs Canis lupus familiaris and car collisions were the commonest causes of pudu admissions to rehabilitation centres (35 of 44) and of deaths of animals encountered opportunistically in the field (seven of 14). Field data suggest that poaching could also be an important threat to pudus. Pudus were detected in both areas surveyed, accounting for 15.6% of mammal detections. Dogs accounted for 47.8% of all detections of potential predator species, followed by pumas Puma concolor (17.4%), guignas Leopardus guigna (17.4%) and chilla foxes Lycalopex griseus (17.4%). The literature survey implicated only pumas as important pudu predators among native carnivores. Our data suggest that, aside from forest loss, dogs, road kills and probably poaching are important concerns for pudu conservation. Our frequent detections of free-ranging dogs associated with roads within nominally protected areas suggest that long-term efforts to conserve pudu will require not only the protection of remnant native forest but also substantive environmental education to modify dog management near protected areas.
AB - We assessed the importance of potential sources of mortality for the Vulnerable southern pudu Pudu puda in southern Chile using the clinical records of wildlife rehabilitation centres, necropsies of animals found in the field and a review of the diet of potential predators. To assess whether the identified mortality sources operate in nominally protected areas, we conducted a camera-trap survey in two areas to determine the presence of pudus and their potential predators. Predation by domestic dogs Canis lupus familiaris and car collisions were the commonest causes of pudu admissions to rehabilitation centres (35 of 44) and of deaths of animals encountered opportunistically in the field (seven of 14). Field data suggest that poaching could also be an important threat to pudus. Pudus were detected in both areas surveyed, accounting for 15.6% of mammal detections. Dogs accounted for 47.8% of all detections of potential predator species, followed by pumas Puma concolor (17.4%), guignas Leopardus guigna (17.4%) and chilla foxes Lycalopex griseus (17.4%). The literature survey implicated only pumas as important pudu predators among native carnivores. Our data suggest that, aside from forest loss, dogs, road kills and probably poaching are important concerns for pudu conservation. Our frequent detections of free-ranging dogs associated with roads within nominally protected areas suggest that long-term efforts to conserve pudu will require not only the protection of remnant native forest but also substantive environmental education to modify dog management near protected areas.
KW - Chile
KW - Domestic dog
KW - Poaching
KW - Pudu puda
KW - Puma concolor
KW - Roadkills
KW - South America
KW - Temperate forest
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77952491582&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0030605309990445
DO - 10.1017/S0030605309990445
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77952491582
VL - 44
SP - 97
EP - 103
JO - Oryx
JF - Oryx
SN - 0030-6053
IS - 1
ER -