Conservation Evidence: Evidence Data

Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Rehabilitate and release injured or accidentally caught individuals: Tuatara We found no studies that evaluated the effects of rehabilitating and releasing injured or accidentally caught tuatara on their populations. ‘We found no studies’ means that we have not yet found any studies that have directly evaluated this action during our systematic journal and report searches. Therefore we have been unable to assess whether or not the action is effective or has any harmful impacts. Please get in touch if you know of such a study for this action.Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3744https%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3744Tue, 14 Dec 2021 11:10:19 +0000Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use artificial insemination One study evaluated the effects of using artificial insemination on reptile populations. This study was in New Zealand. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES) POPULATION RESPONSE (1 STUDY) Reproductive success (1 study): One replicated study in New Zealand found that none of 10 artificially inseminated McCann’s skinks gave birth within a year of insemination, though around five were gravid after nine months. BEHAVIOUR (0 STUDIES)Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3759https%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3759Tue, 14 Dec 2021 15:47:24 +0000Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use hormones and/or other drugs during captive-breeding programmes to induce reproduction/birth Nine studies evaluated the effects on reptile populations of using hormones and/or other drugs during captive-breeding programmes to induce reproduction/birth. Three studies were in each of the USA and New Zealand and one study was in each of the Netherlands, China and Japan. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES) POPULATION RESPONSE (9 STUDIES) Reproductive success (9 studies): Three of four replicated, controlled studies (including one before-and-after study) in the USA and China found that plains gartersnakes, eastern painted turtles and red-eared sliders induced with oxytocin produced a similar percentage of live young compared to individuals that were not induced and laid eggs with similar hatching success or laid a similar number of eggs compared to what was observed in wild nests. The other study found that 25% of eggs from hormone-injected (luteinizing hormone and gonadotropin) four-eyed turtles were fertile, compared to 7–52% for females that were not injected or injected with a saline solution. One study also found mixed effects of different combinations of hormones and other drugs on inducing 13 turtle species. Five studies (including one before-and-after study) in the Netherlands, New Zealand and Japan found that oxytocin, arginine vasotocin and follicle-stimulating hormone induced egg laying/birth in yellow-headed box turtles, tuatara and common geckos or ovulation in hawksbill turtles. One study also found that only one yellow-headed box turtle female produced fertile eggs. BEHAVIOUR (0 STUDIES)Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3767https%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3767Tue, 14 Dec 2021 17:27:59 +0000Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Release captive-bred reptiles into the wild: Sea turtles Three studies evaluated the effects of releasing captive-bred sea turtles into the wild. Two studies were in the Gulf of Mexico and one was in the Caribbean. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES) POPULATION RESPONSE (3 STUDIES) Reproductive success (1 study): One replicated study in the Caribbean found that eight of over 30,000 captive-bred green turtles released into the wild (around 15,000 reared to one year or more in captivity) were observed nesting and two produced clutches of >100 eggs with hatching success of 63% and 88%. Survival (3 studies): Three replicated studies in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean reported that following releases of captive-bred Kemp's ridley turtles and green turtles into the wild, 120–606 of 22,000–30,000 turtles survived for 1–19 years after release. Condition (1 study): One replicated study in the Gulf of Mexico found that captive-bred Kemp's ridley turtles released into the wild grew by 19–59 cm over 1–9 years. BEHAVIOUR (0 STUDIES)Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3768https%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3768Tue, 14 Dec 2021 17:46:32 +0000Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Release captive-bred reptiles into the wild: Tortoises, terrapins, side-necked & softshell turtles Fourteen studies evaluated the effects of releasing captive-bred tortoises terrapins, side-necked & softshell turtles into the wild. Five studies were in the USA, three were in Italy, two were in the Seychelles, and one was in each of Madagascar, Australia and Spain and Minorca and one was global. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES) POPULATION RESPONSE (13 STUDIES) Abundance (1 study): One global review found that when using recruitment to the adult population as a measure of success, 32% of reptile translocations/releases (releases of captive individuals were 7% of total projects) were successful. Occupancy/range (1 study): One review in Australia found that two of three releases of captive-bred Western swamp tortoises were classified as successful. Reproductive success (2 studies): Two studies (including one replicated study) in Italy reported evidence of a gravid female and successful reproduction following release of captive-bred European pond turtles. Survival (11 studies): Six of nine studies (including two replicated, controlled studies) in Madagascar, the Seychelles, the USA and Italy reported that 66–100% of 5–80 captive-bred tortoises and turtles released into the wild survived over monitoring periods of six months to two years. Two studies reported that 16–20% of 5 and 246 individuals survived over two years. The other study reported that some of over 250 individuals (number not given) were recaptured over a year of monitoring. One study also found captive-bred alligator snapping turtles that were older at their time of release had higher survival than younger turtles. One replicated study in Italy found that annual survival of released captive-bred European pond turtles was 67–91%. One replicated study in Spain and Minorca found that survival of captive-bred Hermann’s tortoises was higher after three years after release into the wild compared to 1–2 years after release. The study also found that after three years, survival of released tortoises was similar to that of wild tortoises in one population, but lower in a second population. Condition (2 studies): One of two controlled studies (including one replicated study) in the USA found that released captive-bred juvenile alligator snapping turtles grew at a similar rate and achieved higher body condition than juveniles that remained in captivity. The other study found that released alligator snapping turtles had similar body conditions compared to individuals that remained in captivity. BEHAVIOUR (1 STUDY) Behaviour change (1 study): One randomized study in the USA found that captive-bred Blanding’s turtles released into open water habitat had larger home ranges than those released into places dominated by cattail or willows. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3770https%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3770Wed, 15 Dec 2021 11:07:11 +0000Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Release captive-bred reptiles into the wild: Snakes & lizards Ten studies evaluated the effects on reptile populations of releasing captive-bred snakes and lizards into the wild. Three studies were in New Zealand, two were in the USA and one was in each of the Galápagos, Spain, Australia and Canada and one was global. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES) POPULATION RESPONSE (10 STUDIES) Abundance (2 studies): One global review found that when using recruitment to the adult population as a measure of success, 32% of reptile releases (releases of captive individuals were 7% of total projects) were successful. One review in New Zealand found that 13% of lizard releases (some involving captive-bred animals) found evidence of populations growth Reproductive success (3 studies): Three studies (including two reviews) in the USA and New Zealand found evidence of breeding following release in one of two captive-bred populations of cornsnakes, one captive-bred population of Otago skinks and in at least 16 lizard mitigation translocations, some of which involved captive-bred animals. Survival (9 studies): One replicated, controlled study in Spain found that released large psammodromus lizards had similar annual survival compared to resident lizards. Two of six studies (including one replicated study and two reviews) in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada reported that 13% of 40 indigo snakes were re-sighted at least once during 5–8 years following release or that 58% of 12 Otago skinks survived at least 18 months. Two studies found that zero of nine and 27 individuals survived more than 143 days or beyond their first hibernation. The other two studies found that one of two and five of 53 releases (only some of which involved captive-bred animals) failed completely (no individuals survived). One study in New Zealand found that survival of captive-bred Otago skinks released into an enclosure was higher when mice had been eradicated compared to when skinks were released in the presence of mice. One replicated study in the Galápagos found that while releases were ongoing over a decade (183 released in total), 17–32 Galápagos land iguanas were recaptured each year. Condition (1 study): One controlled study in New Zealand found that body condition of captive-reared Otago skinks was higher than wild skinks, but sprint speed was lower. BEHAVIOUR (1 STUDY) Behaviour change (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in Spain found that released large psammodromus lizards moved between habitat fragments more frequently than resident lizards but showed similar behaviour in three other measures. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3771https%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3771Wed, 15 Dec 2021 11:29:15 +0000Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Release captive-bred reptiles into the wild: Crocodilians Four studies evaluated the effects of releasing captive-bred crocodilians into the wild. Two studies were in China, one was in South Africa and one was a global review. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES) POPULATION RESPONSE (4 STUDIES) Abundance (2 studies): One global review found that when using recruitment to the adult population as a measure of success, 32% of reptile translocations/releases (releases of captive individuals were 7% of total projects) were successful. One study in South Africa reported that following releases of captive-bred Nile crocodiles, wild populations increased in size over 30 years, but then declined in the subsequent 15 years. Reproduction (2 studies): Two studies (one replicated) in China reported that breeding or nesting was observed within four years of releasing captive-bred Chinese alligators. Survival (1 study): One study in China reported that of nine captive-bred Chinese alligators, three survived for nine years and six survived for at least one year following release. BEHAVIOUR (1 STUDY) Use (1 study): One replicated study in China reported that after 10 years of releases of captive bred Chinese alligators to an area that had historically been occupied, 56% of constructed ponds were occupied. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3772https%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3772Wed, 15 Dec 2021 11:53:57 +0000Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Release captive-bred reptiles into the wild: Tuatara Two studies evaluated the effects of releasing captive-bred tuatara into the wild. One study was in New Zealand and one was a global review. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES) POPULATION RESPONSE (1 STUDY) Abundance (1 study): One global review found that when using recruitment to the adult population as a measure of success, 32% of reptile translocations/releases (releases of captive individuals were 7% of total projects) were successful. Condition (1 study): One study in New Zealand found that tuatara reared close to the release site had higher growth, but similar body condition compared to individuals reared in a warmer climate. BEHAVIOUR (1 STUDY) Behaviour change (1 studies): One study in New Zealand found that tuatara reared close to the release site had similar home range sizes and post-release dispersal compared to individuals reared in a warmer climate. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3773https%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3773Wed, 15 Dec 2021 12:02:09 +0000Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Use holding pens or enclosures at release site prior to release of captive-bred reptiles Two studies evaluated the effects on reptile populations of using holding pens or enclosures at release sites prior to release of captive-bred reptiles. Both studies were in the USA. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES) POPULATION RESPONSE (2 STUDIES) Survival (2 studies): Two controlled studies (including one replicated study) in the USA found that survival of captive-bred smooth green snakes and desert tortoises held in pens before release was similar over 3–5 months or 2–3 years compared to individuals released directly. BEHAVIOUR (1 STUDY) Behaviour change (1 study): One controlled study in the USA found that movement of smooth green snakes held in pens before release was similar compared to snakes that were released directly. Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3774https%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3774Wed, 15 Dec 2021 12:04:46 +0000Collected Evidence: Collected Evidence: Release reptiles born/hatched in captivity from wild-collected eggs/wild-caught females without rearing Five studies evaluated the effect on reptile populations of releasing reptiles born/hatched in captivity from wild-collected eggs/wild-caught females without rearing. Four studies were in the USA and one was in Australia. COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES) POPULATION RESPONSE (5 STUDIES) Reproductive success (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in the USA found that for plains gartersnakes released as newborns, two of over 350 released snakes were found to be gravid two years after release. Survival (5 studies): One before-and-after study in the USA found that survival of captive-born desert tortoises released as hatchlings was similar over six months compared to hatchlings that were head-started in indoor or outdoor enclosures. One replicated, controlled study in the USA found that alligator hatchlings released into their mother’s home range had higher survival than those released outside her home range. Three replicated studies (including one controlled study) in Australia and the USA found that 11% of Murray short-necked turtles and 7% of plains gartersnakes survived for 1–3 years after release, and first year survival of gopher tortoise hatchlings released into a predator proof enclosure was around 30%. Condition (2 studies): One before-and-after study in the USA found that captive-born desert tortoises released as hatchlings grew more slowly over six months than hatchlings head-started in an indoor enclosure. One replicated, controlled study in the USA found mixed effects on growth of alligator hatchlings released inside or outside of their mother’s home range compared to wild hatchlings. BEHAVIOUR (0 STUDIES)Collected Evidencehttps%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3780https%3A%2F%2Fconservationevidencejournal.com%2Factions%2F3780Wed, 15 Dec 2021 14:31:38 +0000