Woodrats from a Maricopa County, Arizona

The authors assessed that approximately 700 translocation programs were implemented all(prenominal) year in the early 1990's.

While terminology for classifying diverse types of translocations varies among authors, Spielman (1999) categorized translocations as falling into three categories: 1.introductions, 2.re-introductions, and 3.restocking. Introductions involve touching animals into beas where they previously did not exist. This would include the introduction of non- primal species into native habitats as well as the translocation of native species into sorely-restored habitats such as relief sites. Re-introductions involve transporting animals confirm into areas where they previously existed at some clip but have since been extirpated. Conservation causes that reintroduce captive animals back into their former ranges would fall into this category. Restocking involves releasing additional animals into places where communitys of the same species soon exist. Restocking encompasses such activities as replenishing fish stocks in a lake or adding captive native individuals to an existing wild animal population to increase the population number.

The Australian Mammal Society (Spielman, 1999) has generated a list of long-term goals that form a guideline for organizations conducting translocations. A good translocation project would ideally incorporate the following tenner attributes:

Translocated populations would be self-sustaining under natural conditions with

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The difficulty in obtaining sufficient test sizes to perform statistical analyses is inherent to all vertebrate studies, specially those dependent on tracking and recapturing animals. This poses a problem with translocation programs, as noted above, since in the majority of programs surveyed, adequate monitoring of translocated animals is not pursued. It is therefore difficult to make accurate assessments as to the efficaciousness of translocation programs.

Both the home range and mean insouciant pelt along varied greatly among individuals (Table 2). Home range varied from a low of 1.8 hectares (individual #25) to 190.2 hectares (individual #19).

Mean daily speed ranged from 4.4 meters (individual #8 in 2001 before translocation) to 120.5 meters (individual #21). Differences in home range and mean daily speed between translocated and non-translocated animals were not right away apparent from the data. Differences in these parameters between male and female individuals were also not readily apparent from the data sample.

Studying the movements and home ranges of translocated and non-translocated woodrats can avail land managers understand the potential effects of translocation programs. Such programs are likely to become more common as new areas in Arizona continue to be developed for world habitation. Moreover, such studies relate to the general trend of increasing usurpation of human roads, buildings, and recreational area into prevhous wildlands occupied by native species. This study compares the home ranges and nightly distances traversed by woodrats in a developing community in Maricopa County, Arizona in an effort to understand how translocations may affect woodrat individuals and populations.Results

The ability to quantify the spending and practicality of reintroducing species allows human populations to mak
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