Mierzejewska Ewa J, Dwużnik Dorota, Tołkacz Katarzyna, Bajer Anna, Panek Marek, Grzybek Maciej
Department of Eco-Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 00-927 Warsaw, Poland.
Polish Hunting Association, Research Station, Sokolnicza 12, Czempiń, Poland.
Animals (Basel). 2020 Feb 26;10(3):374. doi: 10.3390/ani10030374.
Safe and efficient techniques for the live capture of carnivores are limited. In this study, we identified some of the factors that could affect the success of capturing red fox cubs with live capture traps (also known as cage traps). During a three-year period, we analysed 32 captures of 25 fox cubs (1.3 captures/fox). We assessed the impact of the following factors: sex of animals, month of trapping, weather conditions recorded for each trap-night, the willingness of cubs to explore and enter cage traps, the researchers' activity around den complexes before trapping and distances to the nearest village or farm. The overall trap rate (32 captures, including recaptured cubs) and the trap rate for individual cubs (25 captures) was 11.2 cubs/100 trap-nights and 8.7/100 trap-nights, respectively. Animals other than foxes were captured only three times, thus the selectivity of the cage-trapping method was high (32/35 = 91.4%). The probability of capturing one cub per night was 70.2% (32 cubs/ 47 nights). Cubs inhabiting dens in the vicinity of human settlements were less likely to explore and enter traps. Vixens were more likely to relocate their litters if the activity of the staff setting the traps was intense at the trapping site. The success of trapping was higher during poor weather as, for example, during rain or thunderstorms. None of the trapped animals suffered any injuries. Whereas cage trapping can be an effective and safe capture method for juvenile foxes, capture efficiency is affected by the experience of the trappers and a range of other factors including weather and distance to human settlements.
用于活体捕获食肉动物的安全高效技术有限。在本研究中，我们确定了一些可能影响使用活体捕获陷阱（也称为笼式陷阱）捕获赤狐幼崽成功率的因素。在三年时间里，我们分析了对25只幼狐的32次捕获（每只狐狸1.3次捕获）。我们评估了以下因素的影响：动物性别、诱捕月份、每个诱捕夜晚记录的天气状况、幼狐探索和进入笼式陷阱的意愿、诱捕前研究人员在巢穴周围的活动以及到最近村庄或农场的距离。总体捕获率（32次捕获，包括再次捕获的幼狐）和单个幼狐的捕获率（25次捕获）分别为每100个诱捕夜晚11.2只幼狐和8.7只/100个诱捕夜晚。除狐狸外的其他动物仅被捕获过三次，因此笼式诱捕方法的选择性很高（32/35 = 91.4%）。每晚捕获一只幼狐的概率为70.2%（32只幼狐/47个夜晚）。栖息在人类住区附近巢穴中的幼狐探索和进入陷阱的可能性较小。如果在诱捕地点设置陷阱的工作人员活动频繁，雌狐更有可能转移它们的幼崽。在恶劣天气下，如降雨或雷暴期间，诱捕成功率更高。没有一只被捕获的动物受伤。虽然笼式诱捕对幼年狐狸来说可能是一种有效且安全的捕获方法，但捕获效率受诱捕者经验以及包括天气和到人类住区距离在内的一系列其他因素影响。
