Tourist-wild boar (Sus scrofa) interactions in urban wildlife management

• Main Authors: Takashi Ikeda, Naotoshi Kuninaga, Takaaki Suzuki, Shiori Ikushima, Masatsugu Suzuki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2019-04-01
• Series: Global Ecology and Conservation
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235198941930068X

Wild animals that reach the urban and sub-urban areas have caused various problems in the world. Human-wild boar conflicts have been increasing in these environments since the mid-1990s throughout the world. To manage human-wild boar conflicts in urban environments adequately, it is essential for a culling program to consider the distribution of wild boars and implement an awareness campaign to prevent encounters between human and wild boars. We aimed to visualize the management priority for urban wild boar population from camera trap and a questionnaire survey during August 2017 and November 2018 at Mt. Kinka, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. We investigated distribution and diel activity patterns of wild boar, and the influence of human disturbance on wild boar distribution using camera trap survey. A questionnaire survey clarified distribution of tourists. Considering the RAI for each camera, the number of tourists, areas of residential and agricultural lands for each mesh, and photographic rates in day-time for each camera, we described management priority. Wild boars showed mostly nocturnal activity and avoided the human disturbance in urban environment. In addition, we visualized management priority, suggesting that it is necessary for wildlife managers to apply various counterplans according to information on management priority. Consequently, wildlife managers would be able to select high priority management area using various parameters. Keywords: Camera trap survey, Diel activity pattern, Human-wildlife conflict, Management priority, Urban environments