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Home range size of male dama gazelles, Nanger dama, in an ex situ population in West Texas

Home range size of male dama gazelles, Nanger dama, in an ex situ population in West Texas Dama gazelles (Nanger dama Pallas, 1766) are critically endangered within their native habitat of northern Africa’s Sahelo-Saharan Zone. However, several Texas ranches maintain populations that provide a hedge against extinction and that can provide suitable stock for conservation projects, including reintroduction. For these initiatives, there is a critical need for information on spatial requirements of male dama gazelles. This is especially the case, because population increase is hindered by aggressive behaviour of males kept within limited areas. Adult males kill other males. We report on the spatial distribution and interaction potential (interanimal distances) of male eastern dama gazelles (N. dama ruficollis) from a population living on 8 996 ha of fenced rangeland in West Texas, USA. We fitted five males with GPS-radio collars and tracked their positions every 3 h for one year. Adult males (n = 3) maintained annual 95% Kernel Home Ranges (KHR) averaging 1 783 ha with 50% core areas averaging 440 ha. Average distance between adults with adjacent home ranges was 2.8 to 4.6 km, with only four contacts within 20 m recorded. Subadult males (n = 2) had more diffuse home ranges and a common core area. They only associated in a loose bachelor group for part of the time. Their space use can overlap with that of adult males. When spatial requirements are met, problems caused by aggression can be minimised. Small sample size prevents definite recommendations, but results point to productive avenues for additional study to enhance management of other ex situ populations. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png African Zoology Taylor & Francis

Home range size of male dama gazelles, Nanger dama, in an ex situ population in West Texas

Mungall, Elizabeth Cary; Cooper, Susan M
African Zoology , Volume 56 (2): 9 – Apr 3, 2021
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Home range size of male dama gazelles, Nanger dama, in an ex situ population in West Texas

Abstract

Dama gazelles (Nanger dama Pallas, 1766) are critically endangered within their native habitat of northern Africa’s Sahelo-Saharan Zone. However, several Texas ranches maintain populations that provide a hedge against extinction and that can provide suitable stock for conservation projects, including reintroduction. For these initiatives, there is a critical need for information on spatial requirements of male dama gazelles. This is especially the case, because population increase is...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2021 Zoological Society of Southern Africa
ISSN
2224-073X
eISSN
1562-7020
DOI
10.1080/15627020.2021.1908845
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Dama gazelles (Nanger dama Pallas, 1766) are critically endangered within their native habitat of northern Africa’s Sahelo-Saharan Zone. However, several Texas ranches maintain populations that provide a hedge against extinction and that can provide suitable stock for conservation projects, including reintroduction. For these initiatives, there is a critical need for information on spatial requirements of male dama gazelles. This is especially the case, because population increase is hindered by aggressive behaviour of males kept within limited areas. Adult males kill other males. We report on the spatial distribution and interaction potential (interanimal distances) of male eastern dama gazelles (N. dama ruficollis) from a population living on 8 996 ha of fenced rangeland in West Texas, USA. We fitted five males with GPS-radio collars and tracked their positions every 3 h for one year. Adult males (n = 3) maintained annual 95% Kernel Home Ranges (KHR) averaging 1 783 ha with 50% core areas averaging 440 ha. Average distance between adults with adjacent home ranges was 2.8 to 4.6 km, with only four contacts within 20 m recorded. Subadult males (n = 2) had more diffuse home ranges and a common core area. They only associated in a loose bachelor group for part of the time. Their space use can overlap with that of adult males. When spatial requirements are met, problems caused by aggression can be minimised. Small sample size prevents definite recommendations, but results point to productive avenues for additional study to enhance management of other ex situ populations.

Journal

African Zoology – Taylor & Francis

Published: Apr 3, 2021

Keywords: Africa; aggression; core area; endangered species

References

  • The first reintroduction project for mhorr gazelle (Nanger dama mhorr) into the wild: knowledge and experience gained to support future conservation actions
  • Habitat requirements of the mhorr gazelle: what does this species need to survive in the wild?
  • Armed conflicts and wildlife decline: challenges and recommendations for effective conservation policy in the Sahara-Sahel
  • Multi-male captive groups of endangered dama gazelle: social rank, aggression and enclosure effects
  • Dama gazelle phone census
  • Species numbers through the years
  • Habitat selection by exotic dama gazelles (Nanger dama ruficollis) in Texas
  • Damas in distress
  • Detecting autocorrelation problems from GPS collar data in livestock studies
  • An evaluation of the accuracy of kernel density estimators for home range analysis
  • Territorial behaviour in certain horned ungulates, with special reference to the examples of Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles