Journal
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Volume 7, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02273-3
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Funding
- Australian Research Council [LP140100508]
- San Diego Zoo Global
- Save the Tasmanian Devil Program,
- University of Sydney
- Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia
- Australian Research Council [LP140100508] Funding Source: Australian Research Council
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Captive breeding of threatened species, for release to the wild, is critical for conservation. This strategy, however, risks producing captive-raised animals with traits poorly suited to the wild. We describe the first study to characterise accumulated consequences of long-term captive breeding on behaviour, by following the release of Tasmanian devils to the wild. We test the impact of prolonged captive breeding on the probability that captive-raised animals are fatally struck by vehicles. Multiple generations of captive breeding increased the probability that individuals were fatally struck, a pattern that could not be explained by other confounding factors (e. g. age or release site). Our results imply that longterm captive breeding programs may produce animals that are naive to the risks of the post-release environment. Our analyses have already induced changes in management policy of this endangered species, and serve as model of productive synergy between ecological monitoring and conservation strategy.
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