Behavioural profiles and social interactions of reintroduced addax (Addax nasomaculatus) in Morocco

Valentina Martinez Salazar

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Reintroduction programs have different scopes depending on the reintroduced species. In the case of addax (Addax nasomaculatus), a critically endangered species, with decreasing numbers and almost extinct in the wild, reintroduction programs are being held in various countries, with the aim to re-establish this species in its historical range. In Morocco, the current reintroduction program translocated two groups of addax from Souss-Massa National Park to the M’Hamid El-Ghizlane Reserve, the first one in 2019 and the second one in 2020. This study aimed to establish differences in the behaviour of the animals that have been released, given that there is a one-year gap between each herd’s release into the wild, and with this analyse the way the animals are adapting to their new environment, and what behavioural changes are present during this adaptation process. The data was collected for one month and included camera traps’ recordings and ad libitum observations. The results show that the animals adapt quickly to their new conditions, changing the time they spent on their daily activities, and prioritizing different behaviours. The individuals’ capacity for adaptation encourages the continuation of the reintroduction program, as it shows the possibility to establish a viable population in the future.

Keywords

behavioural changes, camera traps, activity budget, activity pattern, reintroduction, ad libitum observations

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 20. 5. 2022

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: doc. Ing. Karolína Brandlová, Ph.D.
• Reader: Barbora Dobiášová, externi

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / specializace:
Wildlife and Livestock Production, Management and Conservation / Wildlife Management and Conservation