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Movement and mortality of translocated urban-suburban grey squirrels

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

LW Adams ,
J Hadidian  and
V Flyger
LW Adams*
Affiliation:
Natural Resources Management Program, Department of Biological Resources Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
J Hadidian
Affiliation:
The Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037, USA
V Flyger
Affiliation:
Department of Avian and Animal Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
*
* Correspondence: la3@umail.umd.edu
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Abstract

During summer and autumn of 1994-1997, we determined the movements and mortality of 38 adult male Eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) that had been captured in urban-suburban backyards and translocated to a large forest. The squirrels did not fare well. Squirrels not found dead or classified as ‘probable mortality’ disappeared from the forest with a median time to disappearance of II days. Ninety-seven per cent (37 of 38) of the squirrels either died or disappeared from the release area within 88 days.

Keywords

animal welfareSciurus carolinensissquirreltranslocationurbanwildlife
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , February 2004 , pp. 45 - 50
Copyright
© 2004 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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