Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
National Environmental Science Program, Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
PLoS One. 2020 Dec 17;15(12):e0243937. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243937. eCollection 2020.
Translocated captive-bred predators are less skilled at hunting than wild-born predators and more prone to starvation post-release. Foraging in an unfamiliar environment presents many further risks to translocated animals. Knowledge of the diet and foraging behaviour of translocated animals is therefore an important consideration of reintroductions. We investigated the diet of the endangered meso-predator, the eastern quoll Dasyurus viverrinus. We also opportunistically observed foraging behaviour, enabling us to examine risks associated with foraging. Sixty captive-bred eastern quolls were reintroduced to an unfenced reserve on mainland Australia (where introduced predators are managed) over a two year period (2018, 2019). Quolls were supplementary fed macropod meat but were also able to forage freely. Dietary analysis of scats (n = 56) revealed that quolls ate macropods, small mammals, birds, invertebrates, fish, reptiles and frogs, with some between-year differences in the frequency of different diet categories. We also observed quolls hunting live prey. Quolls utilised supplementary feeding stations, indicating that this may be an important strategy during the establishment phase. Our study demonstrated that, in a novel environment, captive-bred quolls were able to locate food and hunt live prey. However, foraging was not without risks; with the ingestion of toxic substances and foraging in dangerous environments found to be potentially harmful. Knowledge of the diet of reintroduced fauna in natural landscapes is important for understanding foraging behaviour and evaluating habitat suitability for future translocations and management.
人工繁殖并转移的捕食者在捕猎方面不如野生捕食者熟练，并且在释放后更有可能挨饿。在不熟悉的环境中觅食会给转移的动物带来更多的风险。因此，了解转移动物的饮食和觅食行为是再引入的一个重要考虑因素。我们调查了濒危中捕食者——东部袋狸（Dasyurus viverrinus）的饮食。我们还偶然观察了它们的觅食行为，使我们能够检查与觅食相关的风险。在两年（2018 年和 2019 年）的时间里，60 只人工繁殖的东部袋狸被重新引入到澳大利亚大陆的一个无围栏保护区（在那里管理引入的捕食者）。袋狸通过补充喂食有袋动物肉来维持生活，但也可以自由觅食。对粪便（n = 56）的饮食分析表明，袋狸吃有袋动物、小型哺乳动物、鸟类、无脊椎动物、鱼类、爬行动物和青蛙，不同年份不同饮食类别的频率存在差异。我们还观察到袋狸猎捕活体猎物。袋狸利用了补充喂养站，这表明这可能是在建立阶段的一个重要策略。我们的研究表明，在新的环境中，人工繁殖的袋狸能够找到食物并猎捕活体猎物。然而，觅食并非没有风险；摄入有毒物质和在危险环境中觅食被发现可能是有害的。了解自然景观中再引入动物群的饮食对于了解觅食行为和评估未来转移和管理的栖息地适宜性非常重要。
