Rangeland Ecology & Management

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THE EFFECTS OF DROUGHT ON WILDLIFE REHABILITATION POPULATION
Author
Knox, Ami
Villalobos, Carlos
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2014
Body

Wildlife rehabilitation is an important field, dedicated to helping wildlife that have been adversely affected by a variety of factors, as well as helping scientists study the health and behaviors of animals in order to better manage wildlife populations. In October of 2010 Texas was officially listed as having drought conditions and has since experienced two of the hottest and driest years in Texas history. Although wildlife rehabilitators expect to receive greater numbers of animals during drought conditions it can be difficult for them to know what to expect as far as species, life stages of the species and quantities are concerned.  Wildlife rehabilitation records for the years 2010-2012 were collected from South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and NightWings, Inc. and reviewed. Because of the vast number of species received by the South Plains Rehabilitation Center and NightWings, Inc., rather than sorting animals by individual species, animals were categorized by class, and then by habitat type, size, and age for those classes in which further categorization would help better classify the animals' requirements for rehabilitation. The animal groups most affected by drought in 2011 were infant game mammals with a 450% increase from 2010, adult waterfowl and shorebirds with a 92.6% increase from 2010, fledgling raptors with a 75.7% increase from 2010, and juvenile small mammals with a 72.73% increase from 2010.  In 2012 the most affected groups were adult waterfowl and shorebirds with a 67.3% increase from 2011 and infant songbirds doves and other Aves with a 40.4% increase from 2011. By evaluating wildlife rehabilitation records for pre-drought years and drought years, we can determine which species populations are most affected and at what age levels and help wildlife rehabilitators better prepare for future droughts.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Orlando, FL