| dc.description.abstract | Historically, the collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu) occurred throughout much of
Texas including the northern portion of the Texas Hill Country. Remaining peccary
populations were extirpated in much of their former range due to over harvest and habitat
loss. In 2004, efforts to restore peccary populations to the Texas Hill Country began when
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists translocated 29 collared peccaries into the
2,157 ha, Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area (MMWMA). I evaluated the
success of peccary translocations for mixed and intact family groups by comparing
survival, ranges, and dispersal of translocated, radio-tagged peccaries. In addition, I
evaluated two release methods (soft versus hard) to determine differences in population
demographics. I found that peccary ranges and dispersal patterns did not differ (P > 0.05)
between intact and mixed groups or release method (soft versus hard). However, I did find
that peccary fidelity to release sites was greater for soft releases of family groups.
Individuals from the soft release group dispersed the shortest distance and stayed on
MMWMA. Only 2 individuals from the hard releases stayed on MMWMA while the rest
(19 individuals) dispersed 4-8 km. Future peccary translocations should emphasize the
release method employed and family structure of individuals released to improve
translocation effectiveness in establishing populations in target areas. | en |
