Short-term survival and dispersal of translocated European wild rabbits. Improving the release protocol Original Research Article

Translocation of European wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus L. is one of the most frequent management tools to increase rabbit density in Spain, both as prey of several predators that are threatened with extinction and for sport hunting. Nevertheless the elevated short-term mortality by predation makes translocations unsuccessful and increases their biological cost. Information on the factors affecting the short-term survival and dispersal of translocated rabbits is required to improve release management and increase performance of translocated rabbits, and to avoid the use of non-selective lethal methods for predator control. In this study we tested electric fencing and night-shooting as alternative to traditional release protocols, and the effects of vegetation cover and warren fencing on short-term survival and dispersal of rabbits. Night shooting performed during the first nights after release increased significantly the survival of rabbits, by hindering the activity of carnivores in the release area. The use of an electric fence enclosure also increased the performance of rabbits, but was not efficient to constraint rabbit dispersal. Rabbits released in areas with low vegetation cover showed higher mortality and dispersal distances than rabbits released in high cover areas. Warren fencing decreased both the dispersal of rabbits and the adverse impact of predation in low cover areas, but had no effect in high cover areas. Selection of high cover areas or warren fencing in low cover areas seem to be the most advantageous release conditions to decrease the short-term predation impact, reducing the biological cost of rabbit translocations and the risks for endangered predators derived from the use of traditional predator control practices during translocations.