Giovanna Massei

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Europe Director BIWFC and Professor of Human-Wildlife Interactions at The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control University of York

Controlling bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in livestock is often hindered by the presence of a wildlife reservoir, such as the Eurasian badger in the UK and Ireland. Vaccinating badgers against bTB can reduce the severity of Mycobacterium bovis infection and potential onwards transmission to cattle, badgers and other species, thus combined with populati...

The grey squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis ) is an invasive alien species in the United Kingdom (UK). The economic impact of grey squirrels on England and Wales forestry is estimated to be around £37 million ($47 million USD) per year, and the presence of this species has caused the decline of the native red squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris ) due to inter...

Globally, human–wildlife conflicts continue to increase, owing to human population growth and expansion. Many of these conflicts concern the impacts of invasive non‐native species. In the UK, the invasive, non‐native grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis negatively affects tree health and has caused the decline of the native red squirrel Sciurus vulga...

Large herbivores are important components of rewilding. However, populations can grow fast: we predict that, where top-down control is insufficient, herbivores could undermine long-term rewilding goals. To avoid this, nature-mimicking interventions are required to achieve the right amount of herbivory, in the right place, at the right time through...

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite able of infecting all warm-blooded animals. Toxoplasmosis is one of the major foodborne diseases globally. The consumption of wild boar (Sus scrofa) meat from recreational hunting has been linked to outbreaks of human toxoplasmosis. The island of Sardinia (Italy) contains a large wild boar population, thus p...

The economic and environmental impacts of wildlife are increasing in parallel with renewed public interest in non-lethal methods, such as fertility control, to manage these impacts. The Wildlife Research 2008 Special Issue on Fertility Control for Wildlife (Vol. 35) published following the 6th International Conference on Fertility Control for Wildl...

Context Invasive non-native species are on the rise worldwide, exacerbating already significant environmental and economic impacts. Concurrently, public attitudes towards methods of controlling these species are changing, with greater demand for non-lethal solutions. This has fostered research into developing new, effective technologies and strateg...

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite able to infect all warm-blooded animals. T. gondii is the aetiological agent of toxoplasmosis and is one of the most relevant foodborne diseases globally. The consumption of wild boar (Sus scrofa ) meat derived from recreational hunting has been linked to outbreaks of human toxoplasmosis. The island of Sardi...

Effective wildlife population management requires an understanding of the abundance of the target species. In the United Kingdom, the increase in numbers and range of the non-native invasive grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis poses a substantial threat to the existence of the native red squirrel S. vulgaris, to tree health, and to the forestry indu...

Fertility control is often heralded as a humane and effective technique for management of overabundant wildlife, including rodents. The intention is to reduce the use of lethal and inhumane methods, increase farm productivity and food security as well as reduce disease transmission, particularly of zoonoses. We developed a framework to guide resear...

Context Invasive species negatively affect natural communities and human activities. The grey squirrel is an invasive species in the UK, causing damage to forestry and the decline of the native red squirrel. Oral contraceptives have the potential to reduce numbers of grey squirrels; however, to be effective a sufficient proportion of a population m...

Simple Summary Current trends of human population growth and landscape development in Europe suggest that wildlife impacts will increase. Traditional methods to mitigate these impacts, such as culling, can be ineffective, environmentally harmful and often publicly opposed. Contraceptives might be an alternative to culling. This review focuses on co...

Increasing human-wildlife conflicts worldwide are driving the need for multiple solutions to reducing “problem” wildlife and their impacts. Fertility control is advocated as a non-lethal tool to manage free-living wildlife and in particular to control iconic species. Injectable immunocontraceptives, such as GonaCon, stimulate the immune system to p...

•Increases in human-wildlife conflicts alongside cultural shifts against lethal control methods are driving the need for alternative wildlife management tools such as fertility control. Contraceptive formulations suitable for oral delivery would permit broader remote application in wildlife species. •This study evaluated the contraceptive effect an...

Keuling, O., and G. Massei. Does hunting affect the behavior of wild pigs? Human–Wildlife Interactions, Vol. 15, Iss. 1, Article 11. Table 1. Overview on studies examining effects of hunting activities on movements, spatial behavior, and activities of Sus scrofa. HR = home range; ? = effect of removal not clear, not clearly stated, or only assume...

Wild boar and feral swine (Sus scrofa) numbers are growing worldwide. In parallel, their severe ecological and economic impacts are also increasing and include vehicle collisions, damage to crops and amenities, reduction in plant and animal abundance and richness, and transmission of diseases, the latter causing billions of U.S. dollars in losses t...

Populations of wild boar and feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are increasing in numbers and distribution worldwide, in parallel with their significant environmental and economic impact. Reliable methods to detect the presence of this species are needed for monitoring its natural range expansion and its occurrence in areas where animals have been deliberatel...

Rodents and other small mammals cause an increasing number of negative economic and environmental impacts worldwide. In the UK, the non‐native grey squirrel has a significant impact on the forestry industry and has caused the decline of the native red squirrel. Baits are used to deliver biocides and contraceptives to reduce overabundant wildlife po...

Wild boar growth in numbers and range is associated with increasing economic and environmental impact. Hunting has been traditionally used to reduce wild boar numbers. Areas where hunting is not allowed may attract wild boar from neighbouring hunting grounds. This phenomenon is called ‘reserve effect’ and could cause temporarily localised, high den...

In recent decades, wild boar populations have been increasing worldwide due to several potential causes, including human-induced and natural environmental changes and biological and ecological factors. In Europe, this phenomenon has several economic, social and environmental implications such as the increase of agricultural and forest damage, road...

In the UK the now widespread non-native grey squirrel produces problems for the forestry industry through damage from bark stripping and threatens the survival of native species most notably the red squirrel which, mainly as a result of resource competition and transmission of infection, has suffered dramatic declines. Reducing grey squirrel number...

Wild boar and feral swine number and range are increasing worldwide in parallel with their impact on biodiversity and human activities. The ecological and economic impact of this species include spread of diseases, vehicle collisions, damage to crops, amenities and infrastructures and reduction in plant and animal abundance and richness. As traditi...

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious disease affecting all suids including wild boar. As the disease can damage commercial pig production and its circulation can threaten international trade, understanding the risks produced by free-living wild boar (as a wildlife reservoir) is important to ensure proportionate policies to exclude the d...

1. As human-wildlife conflicts increase worldwide, novel methods are required for mitigating these conflicts. Fertility control, based on immunocontraceptives, has emerged as an alternative option to lethal methods for managing wildlife. 2. Immunocontraceptives are vaccines that generate an immune response to key components of an animal's reproduct...

GonaCon, a single-shot injectable immunocontraceptive vaccine targeting the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), has been tested in key mammal species in the UK and shown to be a safe method to reduce population size in areas of high human wildlife conflict. Badgers exhibit an unusual reproductive physiology in that females may maintain fertilise...

In the past 20 years, free living populations of feral wild boar have re-established in several locations across the UK. One of the largest populations is in the Forest of Dean where numbers have been steadily increasing since monitoring began in 2008, with estimates from 2016 reporting a population of more than 1500. Feral wild boar have significa...

Human-wildlife conflicts are increasing worldwide. For instance, growing numbers of free-roaming feral cattle in Hong Kong are causing traffic accidents and damaging crops. Public antipathy towards lethal methods to manage wildlife has promoted research into alternative options, such as fertility control. The aims of this study were to assess the p...

Disease transmission in animal populations can be affected by density or by frequency of contacts between individuals, although many models assume linear density-dependent transmission. We used rabies and free-roaming dogs ( Canis familiaris ) in two Nepalese cities as a model system to explore the impact of linear and non-linear density-dependent...

Background: Populations of wild boar and feral pigs are increasing worldwide, in parallel with their significant environmental and economic impact. Reliable methods of monitoring trends and estimating abundance are needed to measure the effects of interventions on population size. The main aims of this study, carried out in five English woodlands...

Background: Wild boar and feral pig numbers are growing worldwide and have substantial economic and environmental impacts. Bait-delivered pharmaceuticals such as disease vaccines, toxicants and contraceptives are advocated to mitigate these impacts. Effective campaigns based on these pharmaceuticals rely on optimising the target species' bait upta...

Rose-ringed parakeets have recently become established in cities across Europe including London, where they are now commonly seen in parks and gardens. Concerns regarding impacts on native birds as well as noise and damage to horticultural interests, have prompted increasing interest in management of populations to reduce numbers. However, parakeet...

Wild boar and feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are increasing worldwide and baiting campaigns to deliver vaccines and toxicants are often undertaken to control their populations or the diseases they transmit. In these campaigns, it is important to assess bait uptake by the target species. We investigated the use of the systemic marker Rhodamine B (RB) to de...

Population size estimates are an integral part of any species conservation or management project. They are often used to evaluate the impact of management intervention and can be critical for making decisions for future management. Distance sampling and camera trapping of unmarked populations are commonly used for such a task as they can yield rapi...

With annual increases in population that may exceed 100 per cent, wild boar possess the highest reproductive rate among ungulates (Bieber & Ruf 2005). An r-selection strategy that includes a high reproductive rate makes it difficult to manage wild boar populations. However, as mentioned by Allendorf et al. (2008), harvest regulations have the poten...

In Nepal, most dogs are free to roam and may transmit diseases to humans and animals. These dogs often suffer from malnutrition and lack basic health care. Minimal information is available about their demographics and about public attitudes concerning dogs and diseases. We carried out a study in Chitwan District (central Nepal), to collect baseline...

Anthelmintics are commonly used on the majority of UK commercial sheep farms to reduce major economic losses associated with parasitic diseases. With increasing anthelmintic resistance worldwide, several countries have produced evidence-based, best practice guidelines with an example being the UK’s Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS)...

Wild boar is a host of a number of arthropod-vectored diseases and its numbers are on the rise in mainland Europe. The species potentially impacts ecosystems, humans and farming practices and so its distribution is of interest to policy makers in a number of fields beyond that of the primarily epidemiological goal of this study. Three statistical...

Review on the state-of-the-art tecniques to estimate wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations, presented (as invited lecture) at a congress on wild boar management organized by ATIt (Italian Theriological Association) held in Bologna (Italy) on the 1st December 2015.

Review delle più recenti evidenze che emergono dall’analisi aggiornata della letteratura scientifica su biologia riproduttiva della specie (Review of the latest evidence to date emerging from the analysis of the scientific literature on the reproductive biology of the species)

Conflicts between human interests and feral cattle in Hong Kong derive from growing numbers of free-roaming cattle. Public antipathy towards lethal population control led the local authorities to consider fertility control to reduce cattle numbers. This study assessed the potential side effects of the immunocontraceptive GonaCon on individual femal...

The purpose of this study was to compare haematology and biochemistry data for captive and free-ranging wild boar in the UK and to evaluate whether significant differences were present between these two boar populations. The samples from the captive wild boar comprised 18 adult females housed in three interconnected outdoor paddocks, whilst the sam...

Across Europe wild boar numbers increased in the 1960s-1970s but stabilised in the1980s; recent evidence suggests that numbers and impact of wild boar grew steadily since the 1980s. As hunting is the main cause of mortality for this species, we reviewed wild boar hunting bags and hunter population trends in 18 European countries from 1982 to 2012....

Worldwide, wild boar (Sus scrofa) and feral pigs are involved in environmental damage and disease transmission. These impacts are often associated with relatively high local densities of pigs, so the monitoring of population trends is important. Dung counts can be used to estimate population trends, but knowledge of daily defecation rates (DDRs) is...

Context Fertility control is being promoted as a non-lethal means of managing wildlife populations. We recently evaluated a single-dose injectable immunocontraceptive vaccine (GonaCon™) on captive female wild boar for effectiveness and potential side effects; reproductive output was inhibited for 4–6 years, with no obvious detrimental effects on ph...

As human populations grow, conflicts with wildlife increase. Concurrently, concerns about the welfare, safety and environmental impacts of conventional lethal methods of wildlife management restrict the options available for conflict mitigation. In parallel, there is increasing interest in using fertility control to manage wildlife. The present rev...

The impact ofwild boar Sus scrofa and feral pigs on ecosystems and human activities is of interest worldwide. Bait-delivered pharmaceuticals such as contraceptives or disease vaccines are increasingly advocated to assist the management of such impacts. We evaluated the Boar-Operated- System (BOS™) to deliver baits to wild boar in a Mediterranean ar...

Impacts of overabundant ungulate populations on human activities and conservation include crop and forestry losses, collisions with vehicles, disease transmission, nuisance behaviour, damage to infrastructures, predation on livestock and native species, and reduction of biodiversity in plant and animal communities (e.g. Curtis et ai., 2002; Massei...

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are widespread across many landscapes throughout the world and are considered to be an invasive pest to agriculture and the environment, or conversely a native or desired game species and resource for hunting. Wild pig population monitoring is often required for a variety of management or research objectives, and many methods...

The potential market for contraceptives and a growing public interest in alternatives to surgical sterilization for companion animals, wildlife and livestock have recently fostered investments in and development of fertility inhibitors. As a result, new contraceptives and sterilants have emerged and are being evaluated in dogs. Non-surgical fertili...

Since the first edition of this text was published in 2000, a number of important advances have been made in the fields of genetics, molecular biology and epidemiology, speciation, and immunology that have provided new insights into our understanding of the zoonotic infections humans share with dogs. The scope of the book is expanded to include thr...

While governments normally take action to eradicate or control feral populations of introduced species, management becomes problematic in the rare event of an inadvertent reintroduction of a locally extinct species to its former range. Free-living wild boars became extinct in Britain around 700 years ago, but animals have recently escaped from farm...

Context Fertility control appears as a publicly acceptable alternative to lethal methods for limiting population growth in wildlife. Recently developed single-dose immunocontraceptive vaccines have induced infertility in several mammals. However, the potential side-effects and the long-term effectiveness of these contraceptives have been poorly inv...

1 Bait delivery of vaccines, toxicants or contraceptives to target wild mammals is an essential component of management strategies worldwide. Marking agents are required to enable the identification of individuals that consume the baits in order to evaluate and optimize the cost-efficacy of baiting campaigns. 2 Ethyl-iophenoxic acid (Et-IPA) is an...

Over-abundant populations of dogs can be controlled through culling or fertility control, the latter being carried out by surgical sterilisation or chemical contraception. This paper illustrates recent advances in immunocontraception for wildlife and examines the efficacy, cost and the environmental, social and animal welfare impact of methods to r...

Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) are among the most widely-distributed mammals in the world and have the highest reproductive output compared with other ungulates. Worldwide, feral hogs are increasing in range and numbers. Human–feral hog confl icts include impact on abundance and richness of plant and animal species, crop damage, predation on livestock, ve...

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) pose a significant disease threat to livestock and humans. Emerging technologies to reduce feral swine disease transmission risks include fertility control, vaccination, and toxicants. However, for these technologies to be appropriate for field application, a feral swine-specific oral delivery system is needed. We used two...

Context Rabies causes ~55 000 human deaths each year, primarily as a result of bites from dogs, which are the major rabies reservoir in the developing world. Current rabies control strategies include vaccination, culling and surgical sterilisation of dogs. However, recently developed immunocontraceptives could be used alongside vaccination to apply...

ABSTRACT Bait-delivered pharmaceuticals, increasingly used to manage populations of wild boar (Sus scrofa) and feral pigs, may be ingested by nontarget species. Species-specificity could be achieved through a delivery system. We designed the BOSTM (Boar-Operated-System) as a device to deliver baits to wild pigs. The BOSTM consists of a metal pole o...

ABSTRACT  Chemical markers are increasingly used to investigate consumption of baits used to deliver vaccines, toxicants, and contraceptives. We evaluated whether ethyl-iophenoxic acid (Et-IPA) and propyl-iophenoxic acid (Pr-IPA) can be used as long-lasting systemic bait markers for wild boar (Sus scrofa). We presented captive wild boar with baits...

The current world dog (Canis lupus familiaris) population is estimated to be around 500 million (MacPherson et al. 2000). About 75% of these animals, which often are referred to as stray or feral, are free to roam and reproduce and may have a negative impact on human activities (World Society for the Protection of Animals 2010). Problems caused by...

Growing public concerns about lethal methods to mitigate human–wildlife conflicts place increasing constraints on wildlife management options. Translocations, perceived as humane and non-lethal solutions, are increasingly advocated to resolve these conflicts. The present study summarises the literature on translocations of wild mammals, with partic...

European badgers Meles meles are vectors of bovine tuberculosis, and may have negative impacts on the cattle grazing industry. In order to control tuberculosis in badger populations, the use of baits containing vaccines or fertility control agents has been proposed. However, in social species such as badgers, multiple bait uptake and competition fo...

Seventeen adult wild boar (Sus scrofa) were radiotracked in the Maremma Natural Park fron March to September 1993, to determine home range size and the patterns of daily activity; 24-hr home range size averaged 33.2 ha (SE = 2.81) and 25.1 (SE = 1.73) calculated by the 100% and the 95% Minimum Convex Polygon respectively. No sex- or month-related d...

Rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri) have become widely established outside their native range through accidental or deliberate release. Potential economic impacts on agriculture, conservation concerns, and mixed public opinion regarding the species have highlighted the need to develop effective but humane management options. Fertility contro...

Rangeland ecosystems are impacted by feral swine primarily through soil disturbance caused by rooting activities. Feral swine damage to livestock enterprises within rangeland ecosystems is direct and indirect and both cause substantial economic losses. Predation on lambs in Australia often is widespread and is influenced by feral swine density. Fer...

�Context:� Rabies causes ~55 000 human deaths each year, primarily as a result of bites from dogs, which are the major rabies reservoir in the developing world. Current rabies control strategies include vaccination, culling and surgical sterilisation of dogs. However, recently developed immunocontraceptives could be used alongside vaccination to ap...

Rose-ringed parakeets Psittacula krameri (Scop.) have recently become established in several European countries, with potential for significant negative economic and ecological impacts. However, in northern Europe the potential for reproductive output is largely unknown. In 2005 the authors established a captive outdoor colony in north-east England...

This paper analyses the temporal variation in the size of home range and activity of adult wild boar (Sus scrofa L.). Eighteen boar were radiotracked between 1991 and 1993 in the Maremma Natural Park (Central Italy). Variations of home-range size and activity were related to sex, winter food availability and population density. The hypotheses that...

Skull characters of wild boars (Sus scrofa L.) from four regions of Bulgaria were compared using stepwise discriminant, cluster of cases and principal component analyses (PCA). Classification functions were derived for discriminating individuals from different areas. Specimens from the north-eastern part of the country (Dobrudja and the Balkan Rang...

Targeting the host has been the most common approach to managing disease in wildlife. This has essentially involved some form of host population reduction, achieved through dispersing, culling, or controlling reproduction. Dispersion of animals from the site of a disease outbreak has mainly been employed for birds (Wobeser 2007) but has also been a...

Targeting the host has been the most common approach to managing disease in wildlife. This has essentially involved some form of host population reduction, achieved through dispersing, culling, or controlling reproduction.

Fertility control has the potential to be used as an attractive alternative to lethal methods for limiting population growth in overabundant species. This study tested the effectiveness and potential side effects of the single-dose gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccine GonaCon on the physiology and behaviour of two groups of captive female...

Baits are increasingly used in wildlife management to deliver orally administered vaccines and contraceptives. The efficacy and cost-effectiveness of vaccination or fertility-control campaigns can be substantially affected by bait uptake rates. This study assessed whether bait type and deployment strategy affected bait uptake by free-living badgers...

Several authors have suggested that edible plants could avoid herbivory by mimicking olfactory cues of toxic plants. However, very few studies have been carried out to test this hypothesis. The aims of the present study were to identify the volatiles of three clover species and to test whether a species lacking chemical defences, such as red clover...

This study was carried out to assess whether Rhodamine B, ethyl-iophenoxic acid (EtIPA), and propyl-iophenoxic acid (PrIPA) can be used as long-lasting systemic bait markers for free-living badgers (Meles meles). Between June and November 2003, these chemicals were incorporated into bait distributed around badger setts. Serum, hair, and whiskers fr...

Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) occurs when an animal associates the taste of a food with illness, and subsequently avoids consuming that food. CTA can be a significant obstacle to the cost-effectiveness of poison-baiting campaigns when baits contain toxicants that cause symptoms to develop before a lethal dose is ingested. In other circumstances,...

Gender-related differences in growth and concentration of secondary metabolites have been documented in dioecious plants. Males usually grow faster than females, whilst females allocate more resources to reproduction and chemical defences than males, hence their growth is reduced. This hypothesis was tested on prickly juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus m...

For a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) agent to be successful in wildlife management applications, the compound must not be detectable by the animal. Levamisole is an effective CTA agent when administered by oral intubation, but it is readily detected by a number of species when mixed directly in food. This paper describes the development of an ion...

Vaccination and fertility control by means of oral baits may be potential tools for the management of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in populations of the Eurasian badger (Meles meles L.), but bait monopolisation may hamper the effectiveness of these methods. One potential method to reduce bait monopolisation is to induce learned aversion to bait. Learne...

In recent decades, wild boar numbers have increased worldwide. Wild boar can adapt to a wide range of habitats and foods and have the highest reproductive rate among ungulates. Therefore, wild boar can have a very substantial environmental impact and affect many ecosystem components. This paper summarises studies of the environmental impact of wild...

1. Baits are used worldwide to deliver vaccines, contraceptives and poison to wild animal species. In carnivores, multiple bait uptake and bait monopolization by dominant individuals may reduce baiting effectiveness. This study investigated whether a conditioned-taste-aversion agent, levamisole, can be used to decrease bait consumption by individua...

En las décadas recientes, el número de jabalíes ha aumentado en todo el planeta. Los jabalies pueden adaptarse a una amplia gama de hábitats y de alimentos y tienen la mayor tasa reproductiva entre los ungulados. Por lo tanto, las consecuencias de este incremento para el medio ambiente pueden ser muy notables y afectar a una gran cantidad de otros...

Conditioned Taste Aversion (CTA) develops when animals associate the taste of a particular food with illness and subsequently avoid consuming that food. We evaluated the potential of two chemicals, thiabendazole and levamisole hydrochloride, to induce CTA to meat in captive foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Foxes were presented for 45 min with thiabendazole o...

Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) develops when an animal associates the taste of a particular food with illness and subsequently avoids consuming that food. We evaluated the potential of two compounds, levamisole hydrochloride and antimony potassium tartrate (APT) to induce CTA to meat in captive ferrets (Mustela furo). On conditioning day, one gro...

Predation on eggs affects the population dynamics of many bird species throughout the world. We investigated whether Conditioned Taste Aversion (CTA) can be used to decrease predation on bird eggs by rats. Conditioned taste aversion occurs when an animal associates the taste of a particular food with illness and subsequently avoids consuming that f...