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Happily ever after? Fates of translocated nuisance woodchucks in the Chicago metropolitan area

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Abstract

Human-wildlife conflict is increasing as urbanization expands and wildlife species adjust to living near people. Translocation is often used to manage human-wildlife conflict because it is considered to be humane, yet fates of translocated animals are largely unknown. As an urban adapter, woodchucks (Marmota monax) are a common source of human-wildlife conflict due to their burrowing, foraging, and scent-marking behavior. We examined survival and movements of 27 nuisance woodchucks captured by a nuisance wildlife operator in the Chicago metropolitan area, radiomarked with internal transmitters, and translocated to exurban release sites mimicking typical practices. We also captured and radiomarked 16 resident woodchucks from the release landscape for comparison. Translocated woodchucks moved farther than residents immediately post release with no evidence of homing and most left the release site. Annual survival did not differ between translocated and resident woodchucks. However, survival was extremely low (0.18) compared to previous estimates for woodchucks, primarily due to high predation by coyotes (Canis latrans). Translocation should be used only when other nonlethal methods are ineffective (e.g., exclusion, removing food sources, selecting unpalatable plants for gardens). When necessary, the practice of translocation could be improved by reducing predation risk for translocated animals, either by selecting release sites with low predation risk, or by using soft-release methods, such as acclimation enclosures or artificial burrows.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Michael Richlak and Kelvin Limbrick for their assistance with field work and Bob Bluett for facilitating project initiation. We also thank our partnering nuisance wildlife operator for providing study animals and facilitating access to release sites, and staff at Willowbrook Wildlife Center for assistance with animal handling and care. We are grateful to the forest preserve districts of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and McHenry counties, and the many private landowners who granted us access to their property. The Kane County GIS Technology Department provided GIS data. Two anonymous reviewers provided comments that greatly improved the manuscript. This research was funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (Project W-164-R-2) and supported by the Davee Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA

    Elizabeth W. Lehrer, R. Julia Kilgour, Patrick J. Wolff & Seth B. Magle

  2. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Robert L. Schooley & Patrick J. Wolff

  3. Willowbrook Wildlife Center, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Glen Ellyn, IL, 60137, USA

    Jennifer M. Nevis

  4. Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada

    R. Julia Kilgour

Authors
  1. Elizabeth W. Lehrer
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  2. Robert L. Schooley
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  3. Jennifer M. Nevis
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  4. R. Julia Kilgour
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  5. Patrick J. Wolff
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  6. Seth B. Magle
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Correspondence to Elizabeth W. Lehrer.

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Lehrer, E.W., Schooley, R.L., Nevis, J.M. et al. Happily ever after? Fates of translocated nuisance woodchucks in the Chicago metropolitan area. Urban Ecosyst 19, 1389–1403 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-016-0560-2

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