Wild animals can better adapt to human disturbances if they live in regions heavily impacted by human activities. Researchers from Potsdam have emphasized this finding through their analysis of extensive tracking data involving over 1,500 wild animals as part of an international study. Animals equipped with tracking devices, like GPS collars, tend to recover more quickly from the process of being tagged when they frequently encounter humans or their traces in their environment. This suggests that these animals have adapted to such disruptions.
The study revealed that the animals reacted differently in the first few days after tagging based on their diet—herbivores, omnivores, or carnivores. Herbivores were more mobile and displayed varying levels of activity, while omnivores and carnivores were generally less active and moved less. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.
Tagging wildlife is crucial for understanding their movements, physiology, and behaviors within rapidly changing ecosystems worldwide. Nonetheless, the stress of capture, handling, and tagging can affect how these animals move and behave, thereby influencing the accuracy of gathered data. Consequently, researchers from Potsdam, led by Jonas Stiegler and Niels Blaum, collaborated with over 100 scientists globally to analyze data from 1,585 animals across 42 species fitted with GPS collars. “We tracked the activity levels and distances traveled by the animals over a 20-day period after their release to understand how much their usual behavior was altered and how quickly they bounced back from the disruption,” explained lead author Jonas Stiegler.
Out of the 42 species examined, 30 exhibited significant behavioral changes in the initial days post-release, with variations seen among species. For instance, while predators traveled shorter distances on average after being released, most herbivores ventured further than usual. Moose (63% farther than their long-term average) and elands (+52%) showed the greatest increases in distance covered, whereas leopards (-65%) and wolves (-44%) displayed the largest declines. Generally, both omnivores and carnivores were less active at first, while herbivores experienced both increases and decreases in activity levels. The data also indicated that these animals “recovered” at different rates: all species essentially returned to normal behavior within four to seven days. Specifically, omnivores and carnivores resumed typical activity levels within five to six days, whereas herbivores returned to their normal movement ranges more quickly (in four to five days) but took longer (six to eight days) to get back to their usual activity levels. Additionally, larger animals tended to recover faster than smaller ones.
“It’s particularly interesting that animals living in environments more affected by human activities were the quickest to revert to their normal behavior,” noted Jonas Stiegler. “Our analysis strongly indicates that tracking periods for wild animals should extend beyond one week to gather meaningful insights and accurately observe their natural behaviors.”
