Social organization and demography of reintroduced Dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas neglecta) in North Ferlo Fauna Reserve, Senegal.

Mammalia 80(6): 593-600. https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2015-0017

Abstract:

As part of a reintroduction project in Senegal, 23 (9.14) captive-born Dorcas gazelles were released into a 440-ha fenced-in area in Katané (North Ferlo Fauna Reserve, Senegal) in March 2009. After 4 years of seasonal monitoring, the gazelles showed progressive adaptation of their behavior to semi-wild living conditions. Breeding gradually became seasonal, and 53.8% of births occurred during the rainy season (July to September). Gazelle group size and composition varied seasonally. Groups were smallest during the dry season (2.29±1.72) and largest at the beginning of the rainy season (4.18±2.73). Social group composition also showed seasonal variation. There were always a larger proportion of solitary males than solitary females and mixed couples were observed throughout the year. All-male groups were found the least. The proportion of adult females with subadults and juveniles decreased during the early rainy season, while mixed adults, subadults and juveniles groups increased during this period. The mortality rate during the first weeks after release was 13%. Four years of monitoring after release, demographic traits of this released population reveal its adaptation from captive to natural-living conditions.

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The role of Senegal in the recovery of the Sahelo-Saharan antelope species: The case of the reintroduction of Dorcas Gazelle.

GNUSLETTER 28(1): 6-8.

Abstract:

Abstract. During the last 25 years Senegal made a significant effort to recover the three sahelo Saharan species which disappeared from its sahelian region: the scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah), the mhorr gazelle (Gazella dama mhorr) and the dorcas gazelle (G. dorcas). With this purpose, the Senegalese government created two fauna reserves: the Guembeul Reserve and the Ferlo North Reserve. The mhorr gazelle was reintroduced in 1984 and the scimitar-horned oryx in 1999. The reintroduction of dorcas gazelles started in April 2007 with a project conceived to be carried out in three phases: phase 1) translocation of 20 gazelles (6.14) from the captive global population living in several zoological institutions in Europe to the Guembeul Reserve, phase 2) acclimtation to the new environmental and management conditions and growing of population under genetic control, and phase 3) translocation of part of the gazelles from the Guembeul Special Fauna Reserve to the North Ferlo Fauna Reserve and genetic reinforcement of the reintroduced population. After 14 months of the reintroduction, the gazelles are well adapted to the new conditions and now number 31 gazelles (9.22). To assure the success of the reintroduction project, other actions related with training and education of local people were carried out.

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Male tolerance and male-male bonds in a multilevel primate society.

PNAS, Published online before print, September 8, 2014. doi:10.1073/pnas.1405811111.

Abstract:

Male relationships in most species of mammals generally are characterized by intense intrasexual competition, with little bonding among unrelated individuals. In contrast, human societies are characterized by high levels of cooperation and strong bonds among both related and unrelated males. The emergence of cooperative male–male relationships has been linked to the multi-level structure of traditional human societies. Based on an analysis of the patterns of spatial and social interaction in combination with genetic relatedness data of wild Guinea baboons (Papio papio), we show that this species exhibits a multilevel social organization in which males maintain strong bonds and are highly tolerant of each other. Several “units” of males with their associated females form “parties”, which team up as “gangs”.

Several gangs of the same “community” use the same home range. Males formed strong bonds predominantly within parties; however, these bonds were not correlated with genetic relatedness. Agonistic interactions were relatively rare and were restricted to a few dyads. Although the social organization of Guinea baboons resembles that of hamadryas baboons, we found stronger male–male affiliation and more elaborate greeting rituals among male Guinea baboons and less aggression toward females. Thus, the social relationships of male Guinea baboons differ markedly from those of other members of the genus, adding valuable comparative data to test hypotheses regarding social evolution. We suggest that this species constitutes an intriguing model to study the predictors and fitness benefits of male bonds, thus contributing to a better understanding of the evolution of this important facet of human social behavior.

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