A preliminary analysis of death cause, capture-related mortality, and survival of adult red deer in northwestern Patagonia
Keywords:
invasion, Cervus elaphus, Puma concolor, predation, disease, radio telemetry, population dynamics, capture by net gunningAbstract
The red deer (Cervus elaphus), among the world’s 14 most invasive exotic mammals, has recently arrived in Patagonia. Forty-seven deer were captured, marked with radio collars, and monitored in order to determine survival rates and identify causes of death. Net gunning from a helicopter allowed captures to be evenly distributed through the study area and in a timely manner. The absence of capture related mortality in our study agrees with previously reported low rates for this method. Animals were monitored for periods ranging from 5 to 2611 days. Ten animals provided censored values due to radio failures or being shot: they survived on average 811 days (SE = 221) after capture. Ten animals experienced natural deaths with an average time alive after capture of 413 days (SE = 106): eight were killed by puma (Puma concolor). The remaining 27 animals were alive for an average of 974 days (SE = 52). Twenty-one percent of the animals died naturally during 38.549 deer-days. Using the Kaplan-Meier procedure, the annual survival rates for the years 2001-2003 were 0.89, 0.91 and 0.92 respectively (n = 47); the average annual survival rate being 91%. Although predation was the most important cause of adult mortality, all mortality sources combined (puma predation, legal and illegal hunting, disease, emigration) have not maintained deer population density low enough to prevent food limitation from occurring in the recent past.
References
ANDRYK, TA; LR IRBY; DL HOOK; JJ MCCARTHY & G OLSON. 1983. Comparison of Mountain sheep capture techniques: helicopter darting versus net-gunning. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 11:184-187.
BAHAMONDE, N; S MARTIN & AP SBRILLER. 1986. Diet of guanaco and red deer in Neuquen Province, Argentina. J. Range Manage. 39:22-24.
BALLARD, WB; D LUTZ; TW KEEGAN; LH CARPENTER & JC DE VOS. 2001. Deer-predator relationships: a review of recent North American studies with emphasis on mule and black-tailed deer. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 29:99-115.
BEADE, M; G APRILE; M UHART; W KARESH; A BALCARCE & G STAMATTI. 2003. Re-introduccion de venado de las Pampas (Ozotozeros bezoarticus) en la lomada de San Alonso, estero del Ibera, Provincia de Corrientes, Argentina. Fund. Vida Silvestre: 1- 53.
CAUGHLEY, G. 1971. Demography, fat reserves and body size of a population of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in New Zealand. Mammalia 35:369-383.
CITINO, SB; M BUSH; D GROBLER & W LANCE. 2002. Anesthesia of boma-captured Lichtenstein’s hartebeest (Sigmocerus lichtensteinii) with a combination of thiafentanil, medetomidine and ketamine. J. Wild. Dis. 38:457-462.
CRESWELL, M. 1972. European red deer in Argentina. Deer 2:937-938.
D’ANTONIO, C; LA MEYERSON & J DENSLOW. 2001. Exotic species and conservation. Pp. 59-80 in: ME Soule & GH Orians (eds.). Conservation Biology: Research priorities for the next decade. Island Press. Washington DC.
DAVIS, JW & RC ANDERSON. 1971. Parasitic diseases of wild mammals. 1st Edition. Iowa State University Press. Iowa. 364 pp.
DAVIS, JW; LH KARSTAD & DO TRAINER. 1981. Infectious diseases of wild mammals. 2nd Edition. Iowa State University Press. Iowa. 446 pp.
DELGIUDICE, GD; BA MANGIPANE; BA SAMPSON & CO KOCHANNY. 2001. Chemical immobilization, body temperature, and post-release mortality of white-tailed deer captured by Clover trap and net-gun. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 29:1147-1157.
EBERHARDT, LE; LL EBERHARDT; BL TILLER & LL CADWELL. 1996. Growth of an isolated elk population. J. Wildl. Manage. 60:369-373.
FLETCHER, J. 2001. Foot and mouth disease in British deer. Deer 12:54-57.
FLUECK, WT. 1996. Zwischenartliche Beziehungen zwischen freilebenden Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) und angesiedeltem Rotwild (Cervus elaphus) in Argentinien. Z. Jagdwiss 42:12-17.
FLUECK, WT. 2001. Body reserves and pregnancy rates of introduced red deer in Patagonia (Argentina) after a period of drought. Ecol. Austral 11:11-24.
FLUECK, WT; JM SMITH-FLUECK & CM NAUMANN. 2003. The current distribution of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in southern Latin America. Europ. J. Wildl. Res. 49:112-119.
FLUECK, WT; JM SMITH-FLUECK & KA RÜEGG. 1995. Management of introduced red deer in Patagonia. Pp. 525-528 in: JA Bissonette & PR Krausman (eds.). Integrating people and wildlife for a sustainable future. The Wildlife Society. Bethesda, USA.
GAILLARD, JM; M FESTA-BIANCHET; NG YOCCOZ; A LOISON & C TOÏGO. 2000. Temporal variation in fitness components and population dynamics of large herbivores. Ann. Rev. Ecol. System. 31:367- 393.
GARROTT, RA; LL EBERHARDT & J ROTELLA. 2003. Climate-induced variation in vital rates of an unharvested large-herbivore population. Can. J. Zool. 81:33-45.
GOLIGHTLY, RT & TD HOFSTRA. 1989. Immobilization of elk with a ketamine-xylazine mix and rapid reversal with yohimbine hydrochloride. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 17:53-58.
HALLER, H. 2002. Der Rothirsch im Schweizerischen Nationalpark und dessen Umgebung. Eine alpine Population von Cervus elaphus zeitlich und räumlich dokumentiert. Nat.park-Forsch. Schweiz 91:1-144.
JESSUP, DA; WE CLARK; PA GULLETT & KR JONES. 1983. Immobilization of mule deer with ketamine and xylazine, and a reversal of immobilization with yohimbine. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 183:1339-1340.
JESSUP, DA; RK CLARK; RA WEAVER & MD KOCK. 1988. The safety and cost-effectiveness of net-gun capture of desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni). J. Zoo Animal Med. 19:208-213.
JONES, TC & RD HUNT. 1983. Veterinary pathology. 5th Edition. Lea & Febiger. Philadelphia. 1792 pp.
KOCK, MD; DA JESSUP; RK CLARK; CE FRANTI & RA WEAVER. 1987. Capture methods in five subspecies of free-ranging Bighorn sheep: an evaluation of drop-net, drive-net, chemical immobilization and the net-gun. J. Wildl. Dis. 23:634-640.
KRAUSMAN, PR; JJ HERVERT & LL ORDWAY. 1985. Capturing deer and mountain sheep with a net-gun. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 13:71-73.
LEVER, C. 1985. Naturalized mammals of the world. Longman Inc.(ed). New York. 477 pp.
LONGHURST, WM; AS LEOPOLD & RF DASMANN. 1952. A survey of California deer herds. Their ranges and management problems. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game Bull. 6:1-136.
LOWE, VP. 1969. Population dynamics of the red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) on Rhum. J. Anim. Ecol. 38:425-457.
LOWE S; M BROWNE; S. BOUDJELAS & M. DE POORTER. 2000. 100 of the World’s worst invasive alien species: a selection from the Global Invasive Species Database. The Invasive Species Specialist Group, SSC IUCN. Auckland, New Zealand.
MOURAO, G; M COUTINHO; R MAURO; Z CAMPOS; W TOMAS & W MAGNUSSON. 2000. Aerial surveys of caiman, marsh deer and pampas deer in the Pantanal wetland of Brazil. Biol. Conserv. 92:175-183.
NELSON, LJ & JM PEEK. 1982. Effect of survival and fecundity on rate of increase of elk. J. Wildl. Manage. 46:535-540.
NUNES, AL; RL GASPPARINI; JM DUARTE; L PINDER & MC BUSCHINELLI. 1997. Captura, contencao e manuseio. Pp. 142-170 in: JM Duarte (ed.). Biologia e conservacao de cervideos sul-americanos: Blastocerus, Ozotoceros e Mazama. FUNEP. Jaboticabal, Brasil.
POLLOCK, KH; SR WINTERSTEIN; CM BUNCK & PD CURTIS. 1989. Survival analysis in telemetry studies: the staggered entry design. J. Wildl. Manage. 53:7-15.
RAMIREZ, C; R GODOY; W ELDRIDGE & N PACHECO. 1981. Impacto ecológico del ciervo rojo sobre el bosque de Olivillo en Osorno, Chile. Anales Mus. Hist. Nat. Valparaiso 14:197-215.
RHYAN, J; K AUNE; B HOOD; R CLARKE; J PAYEUR & J JARNAGIN. 1995. Bovine tuberculosis in a free-ranging mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) from Montana. J. Wildl. Dis. 31:432-435.
RUHLE, C & B LOOSER. 1991. Ergebnisse von Untersuchungen über die Wanderung von Rothirschen in den Kantonen St. Gallen und Graubünden (Schweiz) und der Nachbar-Kantone sowie im Land Vorarlberg (Oesterreich) und im Fürstentum Liechtenstein. Z. Jagdwiss. 37:13-23.
SALWASSER, H & D JESSUP. 1978. A methodology for performing necropsies and data analysis on road-killed deer. California Department of Fish and Game, Intern. Report: 1-19.
SMITH-FLUECK, JM. 2003. The ecology of huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) in Andean Patagonia of Argentina and considerations about its conservation. Tesis doctoral, Univ. Nac. Comahue. Bariloche, Argentina.
STUSSY, RJ; WD EDGE & TA O’NEIL. 1994. Survival of resident and translocated female elk in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 22:242-247.
THOMAS, R & B NOVAK. 1991. Helicopter drive-netting techniques for mule deer capture on Great Basin ranges. Calif. Fish and Game 77:194-200.
THORNE, ET; JK MORTON & WC RAY. 1979. Brucellosis, its effect and impact on elk in western Wyoming. Pp. 212-220 in: MS Boyce & LD Hayden-Wing (eds). North American Elk: Ecology, Behavior and Management. The University of Wyoming. Laramie, USA.
VAN REENEN, G. 1981. Helicopter deer capture, post capture management and sequellae in New Zealand. Wildlife diseases of the Pacific Basin and other countries. Proc. Int. Conf. Wildl. Disease Assoc. 4:196-199.
VEBLEN, TT; M MERMOZ; C MARTIN & E RAMILO. 1989. Effects of exotic deer on forest regeneration and composition in northern Patagonia. J. Appl. Ecol. 26:711-724.
WADE, DA & JE BOWNS. 1982. Procedures for Evaluating Predation on Livestock and Wildlife. The Texas A & M University System. Texas, USA. 42 pp.
WOBESER, GA & TR SPRAKER. 1980. Post-mortem examination. Pp. 89-98 in: SD Schemnitz (ed.). Wildlife management techniques manual. The Wildlife Society. Washington DC.
BAHAMONDE, N; S MARTIN & AP SBRILLER. 1986. Diet of guanaco and red deer in Neuquen Province, Argentina. J. Range Manage. 39:22-24.
BALLARD, WB; D LUTZ; TW KEEGAN; LH CARPENTER & JC DE VOS. 2001. Deer-predator relationships: a review of recent North American studies with emphasis on mule and black-tailed deer. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 29:99-115.
BEADE, M; G APRILE; M UHART; W KARESH; A BALCARCE & G STAMATTI. 2003. Re-introduccion de venado de las Pampas (Ozotozeros bezoarticus) en la lomada de San Alonso, estero del Ibera, Provincia de Corrientes, Argentina. Fund. Vida Silvestre: 1- 53.
CAUGHLEY, G. 1971. Demography, fat reserves and body size of a population of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in New Zealand. Mammalia 35:369-383.
CITINO, SB; M BUSH; D GROBLER & W LANCE. 2002. Anesthesia of boma-captured Lichtenstein’s hartebeest (Sigmocerus lichtensteinii) with a combination of thiafentanil, medetomidine and ketamine. J. Wild. Dis. 38:457-462.
CRESWELL, M. 1972. European red deer in Argentina. Deer 2:937-938.
D’ANTONIO, C; LA MEYERSON & J DENSLOW. 2001. Exotic species and conservation. Pp. 59-80 in: ME Soule & GH Orians (eds.). Conservation Biology: Research priorities for the next decade. Island Press. Washington DC.
DAVIS, JW & RC ANDERSON. 1971. Parasitic diseases of wild mammals. 1st Edition. Iowa State University Press. Iowa. 364 pp.
DAVIS, JW; LH KARSTAD & DO TRAINER. 1981. Infectious diseases of wild mammals. 2nd Edition. Iowa State University Press. Iowa. 446 pp.
DELGIUDICE, GD; BA MANGIPANE; BA SAMPSON & CO KOCHANNY. 2001. Chemical immobilization, body temperature, and post-release mortality of white-tailed deer captured by Clover trap and net-gun. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 29:1147-1157.
EBERHARDT, LE; LL EBERHARDT; BL TILLER & LL CADWELL. 1996. Growth of an isolated elk population. J. Wildl. Manage. 60:369-373.
FLETCHER, J. 2001. Foot and mouth disease in British deer. Deer 12:54-57.
FLUECK, WT. 1996. Zwischenartliche Beziehungen zwischen freilebenden Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) und angesiedeltem Rotwild (Cervus elaphus) in Argentinien. Z. Jagdwiss 42:12-17.
FLUECK, WT. 2001. Body reserves and pregnancy rates of introduced red deer in Patagonia (Argentina) after a period of drought. Ecol. Austral 11:11-24.
FLUECK, WT; JM SMITH-FLUECK & CM NAUMANN. 2003. The current distribution of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in southern Latin America. Europ. J. Wildl. Res. 49:112-119.
FLUECK, WT; JM SMITH-FLUECK & KA RÜEGG. 1995. Management of introduced red deer in Patagonia. Pp. 525-528 in: JA Bissonette & PR Krausman (eds.). Integrating people and wildlife for a sustainable future. The Wildlife Society. Bethesda, USA.
GAILLARD, JM; M FESTA-BIANCHET; NG YOCCOZ; A LOISON & C TOÏGO. 2000. Temporal variation in fitness components and population dynamics of large herbivores. Ann. Rev. Ecol. System. 31:367- 393.
GARROTT, RA; LL EBERHARDT & J ROTELLA. 2003. Climate-induced variation in vital rates of an unharvested large-herbivore population. Can. J. Zool. 81:33-45.
GOLIGHTLY, RT & TD HOFSTRA. 1989. Immobilization of elk with a ketamine-xylazine mix and rapid reversal with yohimbine hydrochloride. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 17:53-58.
HALLER, H. 2002. Der Rothirsch im Schweizerischen Nationalpark und dessen Umgebung. Eine alpine Population von Cervus elaphus zeitlich und räumlich dokumentiert. Nat.park-Forsch. Schweiz 91:1-144.
JESSUP, DA; WE CLARK; PA GULLETT & KR JONES. 1983. Immobilization of mule deer with ketamine and xylazine, and a reversal of immobilization with yohimbine. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 183:1339-1340.
JESSUP, DA; RK CLARK; RA WEAVER & MD KOCK. 1988. The safety and cost-effectiveness of net-gun capture of desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni). J. Zoo Animal Med. 19:208-213.
JONES, TC & RD HUNT. 1983. Veterinary pathology. 5th Edition. Lea & Febiger. Philadelphia. 1792 pp.
KOCK, MD; DA JESSUP; RK CLARK; CE FRANTI & RA WEAVER. 1987. Capture methods in five subspecies of free-ranging Bighorn sheep: an evaluation of drop-net, drive-net, chemical immobilization and the net-gun. J. Wildl. Dis. 23:634-640.
KRAUSMAN, PR; JJ HERVERT & LL ORDWAY. 1985. Capturing deer and mountain sheep with a net-gun. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 13:71-73.
LEVER, C. 1985. Naturalized mammals of the world. Longman Inc.(ed). New York. 477 pp.
LONGHURST, WM; AS LEOPOLD & RF DASMANN. 1952. A survey of California deer herds. Their ranges and management problems. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game Bull. 6:1-136.
LOWE, VP. 1969. Population dynamics of the red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) on Rhum. J. Anim. Ecol. 38:425-457.
LOWE S; M BROWNE; S. BOUDJELAS & M. DE POORTER. 2000. 100 of the World’s worst invasive alien species: a selection from the Global Invasive Species Database. The Invasive Species Specialist Group, SSC IUCN. Auckland, New Zealand.
MOURAO, G; M COUTINHO; R MAURO; Z CAMPOS; W TOMAS & W MAGNUSSON. 2000. Aerial surveys of caiman, marsh deer and pampas deer in the Pantanal wetland of Brazil. Biol. Conserv. 92:175-183.
NELSON, LJ & JM PEEK. 1982. Effect of survival and fecundity on rate of increase of elk. J. Wildl. Manage. 46:535-540.
NUNES, AL; RL GASPPARINI; JM DUARTE; L PINDER & MC BUSCHINELLI. 1997. Captura, contencao e manuseio. Pp. 142-170 in: JM Duarte (ed.). Biologia e conservacao de cervideos sul-americanos: Blastocerus, Ozotoceros e Mazama. FUNEP. Jaboticabal, Brasil.
POLLOCK, KH; SR WINTERSTEIN; CM BUNCK & PD CURTIS. 1989. Survival analysis in telemetry studies: the staggered entry design. J. Wildl. Manage. 53:7-15.
RAMIREZ, C; R GODOY; W ELDRIDGE & N PACHECO. 1981. Impacto ecológico del ciervo rojo sobre el bosque de Olivillo en Osorno, Chile. Anales Mus. Hist. Nat. Valparaiso 14:197-215.
RHYAN, J; K AUNE; B HOOD; R CLARKE; J PAYEUR & J JARNAGIN. 1995. Bovine tuberculosis in a free-ranging mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) from Montana. J. Wildl. Dis. 31:432-435.
RUHLE, C & B LOOSER. 1991. Ergebnisse von Untersuchungen über die Wanderung von Rothirschen in den Kantonen St. Gallen und Graubünden (Schweiz) und der Nachbar-Kantone sowie im Land Vorarlberg (Oesterreich) und im Fürstentum Liechtenstein. Z. Jagdwiss. 37:13-23.
SALWASSER, H & D JESSUP. 1978. A methodology for performing necropsies and data analysis on road-killed deer. California Department of Fish and Game, Intern. Report: 1-19.
SMITH-FLUECK, JM. 2003. The ecology of huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) in Andean Patagonia of Argentina and considerations about its conservation. Tesis doctoral, Univ. Nac. Comahue. Bariloche, Argentina.
STUSSY, RJ; WD EDGE & TA O’NEIL. 1994. Survival of resident and translocated female elk in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 22:242-247.
THOMAS, R & B NOVAK. 1991. Helicopter drive-netting techniques for mule deer capture on Great Basin ranges. Calif. Fish and Game 77:194-200.
THORNE, ET; JK MORTON & WC RAY. 1979. Brucellosis, its effect and impact on elk in western Wyoming. Pp. 212-220 in: MS Boyce & LD Hayden-Wing (eds). North American Elk: Ecology, Behavior and Management. The University of Wyoming. Laramie, USA.
VAN REENEN, G. 1981. Helicopter deer capture, post capture management and sequellae in New Zealand. Wildlife diseases of the Pacific Basin and other countries. Proc. Int. Conf. Wildl. Disease Assoc. 4:196-199.
VEBLEN, TT; M MERMOZ; C MARTIN & E RAMILO. 1989. Effects of exotic deer on forest regeneration and composition in northern Patagonia. J. Appl. Ecol. 26:711-724.
WADE, DA & JE BOWNS. 1982. Procedures for Evaluating Predation on Livestock and Wildlife. The Texas A & M University System. Texas, USA. 42 pp.
WOBESER, GA & TR SPRAKER. 1980. Post-mortem examination. Pp. 89-98 in: SD Schemnitz (ed.). Wildlife management techniques manual. The Wildlife Society. Washington DC.
Downloads
Published
2005-06-01
How to Cite
Flueck, W. T., Smith-Flueck, J.-A. M., & Bonino, N. A. (2005). A preliminary analysis of death cause, capture-related mortality, and survival of adult red deer in northwestern Patagonia. Ecología Austral, 15(1), 023–030. Retrieved from https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/1473
Issue
Section
Articles
License
Authors retain their rights as follows: 1) by granting the journal the right to its first publication, and 2) by registering the published article with a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which allows authors and third parties to view and use it as long as they clearly mention its origin (citation or reference, including authorship and first publication in this journal). Authors can make other non-exclusive distribution agreements as long as they clearly indicate their origin and are encouraged to widely share and disseminate the published version of their work.
