Species translocation - capturing
animals in one place and releasing them in another—is a widely used
conservation method for establishing or reestablishing populations of threatened
species. However, translocation projects often fail when the transplanted
animals fail to thrive in their new home. A new study from The Condor:
Ornithological Applications demonstrates how close monitoring of the animals
being released into a new area is helping wildlife managers gauge the success
of their effort to save the Ridgway’s Hawk of Hispaniola.
Ridgway’s Hawk is a critically
endangered raptor endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Since 2009,
the Peregrine Fund has translocated 104 nestlings from the species’ stronghold
in a national park to a protected resort area called Punta Cana 130 kilometers
away. They monitored the birds after their release, tracking their survival and
breeding success, as well as collecting the same data on 36–110 breeding pairs
per year in the original national park population. Survival rates were high in
both locations, and more young hawks began breeding on the resort property,
probably because more territories were available due to the birds’ low numbers.
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