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Wildlife Biology - 2024 - Brunton - A window into the forest post‐release behaviour of rehabilitated Bornean sun bears1.70 MB
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
A window into the forest: post-release behaviour of rehabilitated Bornean sun bears Helarctos malayanus euryspilus in Sabah, Malaysia
Wildlife Biology, Vol.2025(2), pp.1-12
2025
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
As the number of threatened wildlife species increases globally, captive rehabilitation and release of wild caught animals plays an increasingly significant role in conservation efforts, particularly where poaching threatens wild populations. Sun bear Helarctos malayanus populations are decreasing globally, with habitat loss and fragmentation and poaching as key threats to the species. This study aimed to assess post-release behaviour of rehabilitated sun bears (n = 12) using GPS-collar data to inform ongoing efforts to rehabilitate wild caught bears. We assessed spatial patterns of movement using kernel density estimates and utilisation distributions. We utilised an information theory (IT) and generalised linear modelling approach to assess temporal patterns of sun bear movement (n = 9). Post-release home range estimates (mean = 56.68 km(2), range:1.9-202.4) and behaviour varied widely between bears, with no significant difference in home range size between males (n = 3) and females (n = 6). Home ranges of most bears stabilised within the first month. Bears that were rehabilitated and released together did not spend a significant amount of time together following release. Bears were most active during daytime hours and most established a post-release home range encompassing the riverside. The ultimate success of the releases is unknown, due to collar malfunction and damage, and the inaccessibility of the study terrain. We find that future releases of sun bears would benefit from soft-release and in situ rehabilitation techniques. This study provides important insights into the complexity of bear reintroductions informing future rehabilitation and releases for threatened bear species.
Details
- Title
- A window into the forest: post-release behaviour of rehabilitated Bornean sun bears Helarctos malayanus euryspilus in Sabah, Malaysia
- Authors
- Elizabeth A. Brunton (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringAlexis L. Levengood - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringThye Lim Tee - Panthera MalaysiaLin May Chiew - Panthera MalaysiaYen Wah Seng - Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC)Boon Nie Yeoh - Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC)Augustine Tuuga - Sabah Wildlife DepartmentSiew Te Wong - Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC)
- Publication details
- Wildlife Biology, Vol.2025(2), pp.1-12
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1002/wlb3.01264
- ISSN
- 1903-220X; 0909-6396
- Copyright note
- © 2024 The Authors. Wildlife Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of NordicSociety Oikos. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative CommonsAttribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in anymedium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Data Availability
- Data are available from the University of the Sunshine Coast Digital Repository: DOI: https://doi.org/10.25907/00836 (Brunton et al. 2024).
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991036485202621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Ecology
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