@article{shaw_ogada_dunn_buij_amar_garbett_herremans_virani_kendall_croes_et al._2024, title={African savanna raptors show evidence of widespread population collapse and a growing dependence on protected areas}, ISSN={["2397-334X"]}, DOI={10.1038/s41559-023-02236-0}, abstractNote={AbstractThe conversion of natural habitats to farmland is a major cause of biodiversity loss and poses the greatest extinction risk to birds worldwide. Tropical raptors are of particular concern, being relatively slow-breeding apex predators and scavengers, whose disappearance can trigger extensive cascading effects. Many of Africa’s raptors are at considerable risk from habitat conversion, prey-base depletion and persecution, driven principally by human population expansion. Here we describe multiregional trends among 42 African raptor species, 88% of which have declined over a ca. 20–40-yr period, with 69% exceeding the International Union for Conservation of Nature criteria classifying species at risk of extinction. Large raptors had experienced significantly steeper declines than smaller species, and this disparity was more pronounced on unprotected land. Declines were greater in West Africa than elsewhere, and more than twice as severe outside of protected areas (PAs) than within. Worryingly, species suffering the steepest declines had become significantly more dependent on PAs, demonstrating the importance of expanding conservation areas to cover 30% of land by 2030—a key target agreed at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP15. Our findings also highlight the significance of a recent African-led proposal to strengthen PA management—initiatives considered fundamental to safeguarding global biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and climate resilience.}, journal={NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION}, author={Shaw, Phil and Ogada, Darcy and Dunn, Leah and Buij, Ralph and Amar, Arjun and Garbett, Rebecca and Herremans, Marc and Virani, Munir Z. and Kendall, Corinne J. and Croes, Barbara M. and et al.}, year={2024}, month={Jan} }
 @article{williams_campbell_kendall_tuttle_lynch_2023, title={Exploring the behaviors and social preferences of a large, multigenerational herd of zoo-housed southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)}, volume={2}, ISSN={["1098-2361"]}, DOI={10.1002/zoo.21758}, abstractNote={AbstractThe zoo‐housed southern white rhinoceros (SWR) population is of special concern due to their lack of consistent breeding success. An enhanced understanding of SWR social preferences could better inform management planning by promoting natural social relationships, which can positively affect their well‐being. The large, multigeneration herd housed at the North Carolina Zoo provides an ideal opportunity to examine rhino sociality across different ages, kin types, and social groupings. Eight female rhinos' social and nonsocial behaviors were recorded from November 2020 through June 2021 across 242 h. Activity budget analyses revealed strong seasonal and temporal variations in grazing and resting behaviors, with no stereotypic behaviors recorded. Bond strength calculations suggested that each female maintained strong social bonds with one to two partners. Beyond mother−nursing calf bonds, we found that the strongest social ties were maintained between calf‐less adults and subadults in these dyads. Considering these findings, we recommend that management plans attempt to house immature females with calf‐less adult females, as they may be necessary to the social landscape of immature females and, ultimately, improve their welfare.}, journal={ZOO BIOLOGY}, author={Williams, Brett and Campbell, Jennifer and Kendall, Corinne and Tuttle, Jade and Lynch, Emily C.}, year={2023}, month={Feb} }
 @article{kendall_bracebridge_lynch_mgumba_monadjem_nicholas_kane_2023, title={Value of combining transect counts and telemetry data to determine short-term population trends in a globally threatened species}, ISSN={["1523-1739"]}, DOI={10.1111/cobi.14146}, abstractNote={AbstractTo evaluate conservation interventions, it is necessary to obtain reliable population trends for short (<10 years) time scales. Telemetry can be used to estimate short‐term survival rates and is a common tool for assessing population trends, but it has limitations and can be biased toward specific behavioral traits of tagged individuals. Encounter rates calculated from transects can be useful for assessing changes across multiple species, but they can have large confidence intervals and be affected by variations in survey conditions. The decline of African vultures has been well‐documented, but understanding of recent trends is lacking. To examine population trends, we used survival estimates from telemetry data collected over 6 years (primarily for white‐backed vultures [Gyps africanus]) and transect counts conducted over 8 years (for 7 scavenging raptors) in 3 large protected areas in Tanzania. Population trends were estimated using survival analysis combined with the Leslie Lefkovitch matrix model from the telemetry data and using Bayesian mixed effects generalized linear regression models from the transect data. Both methods showed significant declines for white‐backed vultures in Ruaha and Nyerere National Parks. Only telemetry estimates suggested significant declines in Katavi National Park. Encounter rates calculated from transects also showed declines in Nyerere National Park for lappet‐faced vultures (38% annual declines) and Bateleurs (18%) and in Ruaha National Park for white‐headed vultures (Trigonoceps occipitalis) (19%). Mortality rates recorded and inferred from telemetry suggested that poisoning is prevalent. However, only 6 mortalities of the 26 presumed mortalities were confirmed to be caused by poisoning, highlighting the challenges of determining the cause of death when working across large landscapes. Despite declines, our data provide evidence that southern Tanzania has higher current encounter rates of African vultures than elsewhere in East Africa. Preventing further declines will depend greatly on mitigating poisoning. Based on our results, we suggest that the use of multiple techniques improves understanding of population trends over the short term.}, journal={CONSERVATION BIOLOGY}, author={Kendall, Corinne J. and Bracebridge, Claire and Lynch, Emily C. and Mgumba, Msafiri and Monadjem, Ara and Nicholas, Aaron and Kane, Adam}, year={2023}, month={Sep} }
 @article{kendall_carrier_folta_tinka_fraulo_leeds_lukas_2022, title={Can teacher-centered community-based conservation programs influence student household sustainable behaviors near a biodiversity hotspot?}, volume={2}, ISSN={["2578-4854"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12648}, DOI={10.1111/csp2.12648}, abstractNote={AbstractLocal communities living on the borders of protected areas can be key drivers of environmental degradation. Community‐based conservation initiatives seek to use sustainable activities as a strategy for mitigating these degradative behaviors while improving livelihoods but must be scalable to the site and sustainable over time. Teacher training, as a means of information transfer to the broader community, is one technique for implementing long‐term sustainable behavior programs. To be effective, sustainability practices must reach beyond behavior change in teachers to influence students and the broader community in which they work. UNITE for the Environment (UNITE) is a community‐based environmental sustainability program located along the border of Kibale National Park in Uganda, a site of high biodiversity, particularly for primates. UNITE focuses on conducting teacher trainings with 12 schools within 5 km of the park. We conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the transfer of UNITE's sustainability practices to the broader community. Families of teachers and students from schools that UNITE worked with, as well as control schools, were surveyed to assess their use of sustainable activities promoted by UNITE. Sustainable activities included specific agricultural practices, composting, bee‐keeping and fuel‐efficient stoves, while controlling for possible confounding variables between households including socioeconomic, spatial, and demographic variables. Results revealed that UNITE households, in comparison with control group households, showed greater use of sustainable practices for 12 of 13 behaviors tested. Wealth was the most influential of socioeconomic factors, with wealthier individuals more likely to implement sustainable activities. UNITE participants had greater value of the environment and belief in their ability to affect the environment than members of the control group. This study demonstrates the ability of teacher training programs to influence sustainable behavior, even while controlling for socioeconomic factors, suggesting that other programs should consider this approach to community‐based conservation.}, number={4}, journal={CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Kendall, Corinne J. and Carrier, Sarah J. and Folta, Elizabeth and Tinka, John and Fraulo, Aimee and Leeds, Austin and Lukas, Kristen E.}, year={2022}, month={Feb} }
 @article{peters_beale_bracebridge_mgumba_kendall_2022, title={Combining models for animal tracking: Defining behavioural states to understand space use for conservation}, volume={9}, ISSN={["1365-2699"]}, DOI={10.1111/jbi.14483}, abstractNote={AbstractAimRapid advances in technology have created tools able to explore how animals differ in their use of the environment based on behaviour, which can provide insights into the ecology of endangered animals and the threats they face. Though threatened, we know little of vultures' spatial ecology. We examine the external variables that affect vultures' decisions regarding space use, specifically during foraging and feeding when they are at greatest risk for encountering threats, and use this to inform effective conservation interventions.LocationTanzania, specifically Southern Tanzanian protected area networks.Taxon
Gyps africanus.
MethodsWe tracked 26 African white‐backed vultures between 2015 and 2019 in Southern Tanzania. Using hidden Markov models to identify behaviour from raw GPS points and point process models to spatially analyse these behaviours, we tested resource selection decisions in vultures during foraging and feeding, when they are at greatest risk of poisoning.ResultsAfrican white‐backed vultures are most likely to forage early in the day outside National Parks, specifically in Game Reserves and Wildlife Management Areas, but avoid areas with high livestock numbers to feed. Eastern and Western populations showed slight differences in preferences, highlighting the need for population level considerations. When not selecting for behaviour, closeness to rivers and habitat openness were more important than protected area status for predicting vulture use.Main conclusionsThrough combining complex analyses, we identified results which simple statistical analyses could not offer. Hidden Markov models and point process models are complementary and can be used to define specific behaviours and associated resource selection. These results provide insight into how animals use their habitat explicitly rather than describing where they spend most of their time. This adds to the growing evidence that although National Parks are important, the management of surrounding areas must be included in conservation efforts.}, journal={JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY}, author={Peters, Natasha M. and Beale, Colin M. and Bracebridge, Claire and Mgumba, Msafiri P. and Kendall, Corinne J.}, year={2022}, month={Sep} }
 @article{ogada_virani_kendall_thomsett_odino_kapila_patel_wairasho_dunn_shaw_et al._2022, title={Evidence of widespread declines in Kenya's raptor populations over a 40-year period}, volume={266}, ISSN={["1873-2917"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109361}, abstractNote={Kenya's wildlife has been declining substantially for decades, due to rapid human population growth and its associated impacts on natural habitats. Predators and scavengers are particularly sensitive to anthropogenic pressures, and their changing status has corresponding impacts on the ecosystem services they provide. To estimate rates of change in Kenya's raptor populations we compared linear encounter rates (individuals 100 km−1) recorded during road surveys conducted in 1970–1977 and 2003–2020. Encounter rates for 19 out of 22 species examined had fallen, by a median of 70% among those showing a significant or near-significant change. No species had increased significantly. Declines had occurred among all vulture and large eagle species, and were especially pronounced among once-common small and medium-sized raptors. Our findings demonstrate the importance of protected areas (PAs) for Kenya's remaining raptor populations. The median encounter rate for vultures and large eagles had dropped by 23% within PAs and by 76% in unprotected areas. Smaller species showed divergent trends in relation to PA status, their median encounter rate increasing by 104% within PAs while declining by 85% elsewhere. Based on projected declines over three generation lengths, 45% of the species examined would qualify as nationally Endangered or Critically Endangered. Key threats include electrocution/collision with energy infrastructure, deliberate and incidental poisoning, and impacts associated with habitat degradation. Kenya's raptor declines could be reversed through enhanced management of PAs, mitigation of specific threats and the implementation of species recovery plans; all requiring steadfast government commitment and close collaboration with conservation stakeholders.}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION}, author={Ogada, Darcy and Virani, Munir Z. Z. and Kendall, Corinne J. J. and Thomsett, Simon and Odino, Martin and Kapila, Shiv and Patel, Teeku and Wairasho, Peter and Dunn, Leah and Shaw, Phil and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Feb} }
 @article{peters_kendall_davies_bracebridge_nicholas_mgumba_beale_2023, title={Identifying priority locations to protect a wide-ranging endangered species}, volume={277}, ISSN={["1873-2917"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109828}, abstractNote={Medium and large scavengers often move long distances to locate sufficient foraging areas, often including buffer zones of protected areas, putting them at considerable risk from geographically dispersed threats. Vultures are declining worldwide with poisoning being the greatest threat in Africa. Using a novel capture-recapture model applied to carcasses found by 51 GPS tracked vultures, we estimated the exposure, threat, and risk of poisoning to vultures in southern Tanzania. Exposure to poisoning was defined as the areas that vultures use and where carcasses are likely to be found by a given individual. We used a human footprint map as a proxy for threat, identifying locations where poisoning was possible. Risk of poisoning was determined as areas with an overlap of exposure and threat. We found that locations with the greatest risk of poisoning were within 20 km of protected areas. Although most high-risk areas we identified fell within this buffer, our risk assessment method identified additional hot-spots including some high-risk areas that fell outside nearby buffers. We found that our risk assessment allowed us to identify more localised, high-risk areas that cover a much smaller total area. This gives more precise insight into where conservation management should be prioritised and limited resources should be focused.}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION}, author={Peters, Natasha and Kendall, Corinne J. and Davies, Jacob G. and Bracebridge, Claire and Nicholas, Aaron and Mgumba, Msafiri P. and Beale, Colin M.}, year={2023}, month={Jan} }
 @article{kane_monadjem_aschenborn_bildstein_botha_bracebridge_buechley_buij_davies_diekmann_et al._2022, title={Understanding continent-wide variation in vulture ranging behavior to assess feasibility of Vulture Safe Zones in Africa: Challenges and possibilities}, volume={268}, ISSN={["1873-2917"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109516}, abstractNote={Protected areas are intended as tools in reducing threats to wildlife and preserving habitat for their long-term population persistence. Studies on ranging behavior provide insight into the utility of protected areas. Vultures are one of the fastest declining groups of birds globally and are popular subjects for telemetry studies, but continent-wide studies are lacking. To address how vultures use space and identify the areas and location of possible vulture safe zones, we assess home range size and their overlap with protected areas by species, age, breeding status, season, and region using a large continent-wide telemetry datasets that includes 163 individuals of three species of threatened Gyps vulture. Immature vultures of all three species had larger home ranges and used a greater area outside of protected areas than breeding and non-breeding adults. Cape vultures had the smallest home range sizes and the lowest level of overlap with protected areas. Rüppell's vultures had larger home range sizes in the wet season, when poisoning may increase due to human-carnivore conflict. Overall, our study suggests challenges for the creation of Vulture Safe Zones to protect African vultures. At a minimum, areas of 24,000 km 2 would be needed to protect the entire range of an adult African White-backed vulture and areas of more than 75,000 km 2 for wider-ranging Rüppell's vultures. Vulture Safe Zones in Africa would generally need to be larger than existing protected areas, which would require widespread conservation activities outside of protected areas to be successful.}, journal={BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION}, author={Kane, Adam and Monadjem, Ara and Aschenborn, H. K. Ortwin and Bildstein, Keith and Botha, Andre and Bracebridge, Claire and Buechley, Evan R. and Buij, Ralph and Davies, John P. and Diekmann, Maria and et al.}, year={2022}, month={Apr} }
 @article{handler_subalusky_kendall_dutton_rosi_post_2021, title={Temporal resource partitioning of wildebeest carcasses by scavengers after riverine mass mortality events}, volume={12}, ISSN={["2150-8925"]}, DOI={10.1002/ecs2.3326}, abstractNote={AbstractScavengers play an important role in nutrient recycling and disease control, and this role may be particularly critical after mass mortality events, such as those caused by epidemics, culling, or natural disasters. Current work on scavenger ecology has focused on use of single carcasses, but behaviors are likely to be different at mass mortality events, in which high resource abundance can prolong the spatial and temporal availability of carcasses. Little is currently known about how scavengers respond to large die‐offs and understanding scavenger use and succession patterns at mass mortality events has important implications for disease ecology. We used photographic time series and river‐side surveys of scavengers using carcasses to investigate scavenger use and succession on wildebeest carcasses that resulted from annual mass drownings in the Mara River, Kenya. In addition, we used telemetry data for tagged avian scavengers to assess individual use of mass drownings. Density of avian scavengers per carcass was almost two orders of magnitude lower at mass drownings than has been documented previously for single carcasses on land. Scavengers demonstrated patterns of temporal resource partitioning, with large‐bodied avian scavengers more common initially, followed by small‐bodied avian scavengers, and then by insectivorous birds and non‐avian scavengers. Avian scavengers also differed in daily activity patterns, with marabou storks more common in the morning and late afternoon and white‐backed and Rüppell’s vultures more common mid‐day. Telemetry data indicated that approximately half of tagged vultures used mass drowning events but only spent a small proportion of their time there, suggesting that competition still plays an important role in scavenger dynamics at mass mortality events and that the rewards of such abundant resources may be offset by the risk of foraging in the river. Further research on scavenger behavior during mass mortality events is needed to better understand the role of scavengers in decomposition of carcasses and disease control during these events.}, number={1}, journal={ECOSPHERE}, author={Handler, Katherine S. and Subalusky, Amanda L. and Kendall, Corinne J. and Dutton, Christopher L. and Rosi, Emma J. and Post, David M.}, year={2021}, month={Jan} }
 @article{wood_koutsos_kendall_minter_tollefson_ivory_ange‐van heugten_2020, title={Circulating nutrients and hematological parameters in managed African elephants (
            Loxodonta Africana
            ) over a 1‐year period}, volume={39}, ISSN={0733-3188 1098-2361}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21556}, DOI={10.1002/zoo.21556}, abstractNote={AbstractAfrican elephants (Loxodonta Africana) are currently considered a vulnerable species. One key to improving methods of species management is to better monitor and understand elephant nutrition. Analyzing circulating nutrients is one of the best and least invasive methods of monitoring managed elephant nutrition, but limited reference values are available. This study examined the circulating basic hematology concentrations, minerals, vitamins A, D, and E, and fatty acids of six African elephants (two males and four females) at the North Carolina Zoo collected monthly from March 2016 to April 2017 and compared levels among seasons. Creatinine (CRE) and albumin had seasonal differences (p ≤ .05). Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, cobalt, manganese, and molybdenum displayed seasonal differences (p ≤ .05). Retinol and 25‐hydroxyvitamin D2 had seasonal differences (p ≤ .05). Linoleic acid, α‐linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, total omega‐3 fatty acids, total omega‐6 fatty acids, and the omega‐6 to omega‐3 ratio showed seasonal differences (p ≤ .05). Findings suggest that exogenous vitamin E supplements may not be necessary with a mixed feedstuff diet (hay, fortified concentrate pellet, browse, and produce) based on circulating values. This data offer updated information on circulating reference values and novel circulating concentrations of nutrients for Southeastern US managed African elephants that can be used to inform nutritional and health management in all similar habitats.}, number={5}, journal={Zoo Biology}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Wood, Jordan and Koutsos, Elizabeth and Kendall, Corinne J. and Minter, Larry J. and Tollefson, Troy and Ivory, Erin and Ange‐van Heugten, Kimberly}, year={2020}, month={Jul}, pages={345–354} }
 @article{lasky_campbell_osborne_ivory_lasky_kendall_2021, title={Increasing browse and social complexity can improve zoo elephant welfare}, volume={40}, ISSN={["1098-2361"]}, DOI={10.1002/zoo.21575}, abstractNote={AbstractWhile recent work has assessed how environmental and managerial changes influence elephant welfare across multiple zoos, few studies have addressed the effects of management changes within a single institution. In this paper, we examine how management changes related to social structure and diet affect the behavior of a group of zoo elephants over a 23‐month period while also considering underlying factors, such as time of day, hormonal cycle, and individual differences. We recorded individual behaviors using 2‐min scan samples during 60‐min sessions. We analyzed behavioral changes across several study variables using generalized linear mixed models. We found that increasing browse can improve opportunities for foraging throughout the day but may not be sufficient to reduce repetitive behaviors. We observed that increasing group size and integration of bulls with cows can lead to increased social interaction in African elephants. Our results highlight the importance of using multiple management alterations to address elephant welfare, and considering environmental factors, when making management decisions.}, number={1}, journal={ZOO BIOLOGY}, author={Lasky, Monica and Campbell, Jennifer and Osborne, Jason A. and Ivory, Erin L. and Lasky, Jacob and Kendall, Corinne J.}, year={2021}, month={Jan}, pages={9–19} }
 @article{wood_koutsos_kendall_minter_tollefson_ange‐van heugten_2020, title={Analyses of African elephant (
            Loxodonta africana
            ) diet with various browse and pellet inclusion levels}, volume={39}, ISSN={0733-3188 1098-2361}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21522}, DOI={10.1002/zoo.21522}, abstractNote={AbstractTo more closely simulate the diet of free‐ranging elephants, the diet of six (2.4) African elephants (Loxodonta africana) was altered to include more browse and less pelleted complete feed (5% total diet). Dietary proximate compounds, minerals, vitamins A (and carotenoids), D and E, and fatty acids were analyzed on pelleted diet items and forages including hay, grass, and browse. A total of 42 browse species were offered over 1 year with an average total diet inclusion of 5.2% (dry matter basis) per day. Dietary Na and Se were low while Fe and Mn were high compared to published intake levels for elephants. Analyzed nutrients within browse varied widely among seasons and species. Ingredient analyses were used to create predicted elephant nutrient intake for (a) the current diet, (b) a diet excluding pellets, and (c) a diet excluding pellets and providing browse at doubled levels. Formulated diets excluding pellets had lower mineral levels than the current diet and doubled browse did not alter mineral inclusions of concern. This study provides seasonal data on the nutrient levels of Southeastern browse species important for various pachyderm and herbivorous species. Predicted nutrient intake with new diet scenarios does not support the exclusion of pellets in the diets of African elephants without greater browse quantity availability, strict diet management, or additional supplements.}, number={1}, journal={Zoo Biology}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Wood, Jordan and Koutsos, Elizabeth and Kendall, Corinne J. and Minter, Larry J. and Tollefson, Troy N. and Ange‐van Heugten, Kimberly}, year={2020}, month={Jan}, pages={37–50} }
 @article{kendall_rubenstein_slater_monadjem_2018, title={An assessment of tree availability as a possible cause of population declines in scavenging raptors}, volume={49}, ISSN={["1600-048X"]}, DOI={10.1111/jav.01497}, abstractNote={Lack of suitable nesting trees is an increasingly common issue for avian conservation given rampant habitat and tree destruction around the world. In the African savannah, habitat loss and particularly tree damage caused by elephants have been suggested as possible factors in the decline of large bird species. Given the recent declines of vultures and other scavenging raptors, it is critical to understand if nest availability is a limiting factor for these threatened populations. Loss of woodland, partially due to elephant populations, has been reported for the Mara‐Serengeti ecosystem. Data on characteristics of trees used for nesting were collected for white‐backed, lappet‐faced, white‐headed vulture, and tawny eagle nests in Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Nest tree characteristics were compared with the distribution of a random subsample of trees to assess nest preferences and determine suitability of available trees. Nearest neighbor distances were estimated as well as availability of preferred nesting trees to determine if tree availability is a limiting factor for tree‐nesting vultures. Tree availability was found to greatly exceed nesting needs for African vultures and tawny eagles. We thus conclude that on a landscape scale, tree availability is not a limiting factor for any of the species considered here (white‐backed, lappet‐faced, white‐headed vultures and tawny eagles).}, number={1}, journal={JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY}, author={Kendall, Corinne J. and Rubenstein, Daniel I. and Slater, Pamela L. and Monadjem, Ara}, year={2018}, month={Jan} }