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Reviewing papers by others is a part of the game, checkout Orr's Publons profile for contributions as a reviewer or the Research Gate and Google Scholar profiles for publication list
Movement Ecology and Individual Behavior
Studying golden jackal’s demography and movement ecology to inform management of regional rabies outbreaks
Yes, we know jackals are not birds but check it out…
In this study our goal is to describe the demography and movement of the golden jackal (Canis aureus), focusing on the population of Harod valley in northern Israel. These insights may inform conservation and management recommendations, especially in the context of future rabies outbreaks in the region, where jackals play a crucial role.
In collaboration with the Israeli Nature and protection authority
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Background
Zoonotic diseases, such as rabies, pose a significant threat to public health and a heavy burden on agriculture. Understanding the movement patterns and behaviours of wildlife host populations is essential for management and control of such diseases. There is a growing recognition in the importance of adequately vaccinating canine host populations in rabies-risk regions (here mostly jackals, and also foxes); as well as the importance of improving sanitation management (to reduce carrying capacity and overabundance of vector populations). Furthermore, the spatiotemporal dynamics and the capacity of pathogens to spread are directly linked to the host (or vector) movements. Thus, assessing the population’s movement patterns and spatial distribution is essential for improving future attempts to impede outbreaks of rabies.
In Israel, rabies outbreaks occur every few year. One of the most recent (and large) outbreaks occurred at 2017 in the northern regions of the country, with the golden jackal population in the Harod-Valley considered to be the source of the outbreak. One of the main conclusions following that outbreak was that the fraction of vaccinated jackals in the population (and mostly juveniles) was not sufficiently high to prevent an outbreak and the spread of the disease in the region. This highlight the need for a robust and accurate abundance estimate (basically asking what is the population size?), coupled with understanding of the spatial distribution of this population and their movement behavior (how far jackals go? Where to and when?).
In this study we will track jackals and track them with our ATLAS system. These data will allow improving the oral-vaccine efficacy in terms of needed quantities and locations for disseminations. In addition to rabies, because jackals are overabundant and act as key predators of many species (lapwing included). Knowledge of their movement patterns in this region could also contribute to other management aspects, such as agricultural damage control and reduction of predation stress of other species.
The study may also bear implications for wildlife conservation (jackals and cascading sympatric species), as well as for public health.
Specific aims
(1) Obtaining an accurate estimation of jackal abundance (and density) using Mark-Resight, in order to improve the efficacy of the oral vaccination program.
(2) Gaining a better understanding of the spatial structure and movement patterns of that population.
(3) Providing recommendations for improving future responses and control methods for rabies outbreaks in the region (based on movement data and density estimates), as well as improving the current management interface used by the INPA for the residing jackal population.