About
136
Publications
66,878
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
2,469
Citations
Introduction
Additional affiliations
July 2009 - present
July 2008 - June 2009
LFE Eberswalde / Waldkundeinstitut Eberswalde
Position
- Researcher
September 2002 - June 2010
Education
October 1993 - September 2001
Publications
Publications (136)
The European Observatory of Wildlife EOW, as part of the ENETWILD project, represents a collaborative network that has been operating since 2021 to develop and implement standardized protocols to obtain harmonized data on distribution and density of target mammal species. In so doing, the EOW aims at contributing to improving the quality of data th...
Avian influenza (AI) is an infectious viral disease of birds, including domestic poultry, which has been causing outbreaks worldwide, leading to several millions of dead wild birds and culled poultry. AI is mainly found in birds, but recently, there was an increase in reported infections in mammals, ranging from no symptoms to mass mortality events...
The consumption of raw or undercooked meat products poses a serious risk for human hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections. In many high-income countries, domestic pigs and wild boars represent the main animal reservoirs for HEV and are usually identified by reverse transcription-PCR and antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In order to ch...
This is the printed version of final report to a Lower Saxonian goose research project in 2015-2019. It focusses on disturbance by hunting, air traffic, windturbines and agiculture, presents results to goose tracking in Greylags, Barnacles and Greater White-fronts, influence of geese on breeding waders, demograohy of shot Greylags in Lower Saxony,...
Wildlife policy makers and managers face challenges in taking decisions and dealing with the complexity of international context, and often operate without informed decision‐making frameworks. This situation evidences the need of a harmonised Europe‐wide wildlife monitoring framework able to sustain coordinated transboundary policy. With a pragmati...
The European Observatory of Wildlife (EOW, https://wildlifeobservatory.org/) is an EFSA-funded (European Food and Safety Authority) initiative run by the ENETWILD project (www.enetwild.com). The EOW aims to improve harmonizing wildlife monitoring methods throughout the Europe and provide the possibilities to estimate the density of wildlife across...
The American mink Neogale vison is an invasive alien species in Europe that threatens endemic biodiversity and can transmit zoonotic diseases, including the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. The last attempt to map the geographic range of this species in Europe, at continental scale, dates back to 2007.
We aimed to update the distribution map of the feral American...
The European Observatory of Wildlife (EOW) as part of the ENETWILD project, aims to improve
the European capacity for monitoring wildlife populations, implementing international standards
for data collection, providing guidance on wildlife density estimation, and finally, to promote
collaborative, open data networks to develop wildlife monitorin...
As one of the most abundant game species in Europe, European wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations prove highly adaptable to cultivated landscapes. The ongoing process of climate change and the high agricultural yields seem to further optimize the living conditions for this species. In long-term reproduction monitoring, we collected data on the body w...
The goal of this report is modelling the occurrence for carnivores at the European scale and to compare the output of occurrence with observed hunting yield (HY) density models for red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and badger (Meles meles). Random Forest function was used for modelling occurrence of species. Occurrences available from the past 30 years (1990...
A science‐based participatory process guided by EFSA identified 10 priority zoonotic pathogens for future One Health surveillance in Europe: highly pathogenic avian influenza, swine influenza, West Nile disease, tick‐borne‐encephalitis, echinococcosis, Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, hepatitis E, Lyme disease, Q‐fever, Rift Valley fever. The main...
A small proportion of disease surveillance programs target environment compartment, and in the EU these are restricted to few countries. The present report is composed of two literature reviews (i) on the main existing structures and systematic/academic initiatives for surveillance in the EU for zoonoses in the environment, and (ii) on the methods...
The present report describes and maps the main existing structures and systematic initiatives and academic activities for surveillance in the EU for transboundary, emerging and re‐emerging zoonoses in domestic animals, wildlife, and the environment, developed by the different sectors, namely human, domestic animal, wildlife and environmental, under...
The International Symposium on Wild Boar and Other Suids (IWBS 2022), which took place in Montseny Biosphere Reserve (Catalonia, Spain) in September 2022, provided to ENETWILD with the opportunity to meet in‐person for the first time after 2.5 years, and meet the international scientific community with expertise on wild suids and other ungulates. T...
It is essential to provide tools to wildlife professionals and researchers in order to facilitate data collection on wildlife density estimation following standardized protocols in the field. This is relevant for efficient harmonized data management systems, from the field to final reporting. Our main objective was to facilitate the collection of i...
The goal of this report is i) to model the occurrence and hunting yield (HY) density of wild ungulates not only for widely distributed species in Europe, but also for those ones which have a constrained distribution and ii) to compare the output of occurrence with observed HY. Random Forest function was used for modelling occurrence of species. We...
Die Graugans war in Niedersachsen im späten Mittelalter ausgestorben. Erst in den 1980er Jahren wurde die Art durch ein Projekt der Landesjägerschaft und des Landwirtschaftsministeriums wieder heimisch. Wie hat sich die Art in Niedersachsen entwickelt? Ein Bericht über den aktuellen Status und das laufende Forschungsprojekt von IWWR und ITAW.
The new‐born European Observatory of Wildlife (EOW)² is a part of the EFSA‐funded ENETWILD project, and has the aim of improving the European capacities for monitoring wildlife populations, implementing international standards for data collection, providing guidance on wildlife density estimation, and finally, to promote collaborative, open data ne...
The hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related bovine hepacivirus (BovHepV) can cause acute as well as persistent infections in cattle. The true clinical relevance of the virus is not yet known. As reliable antibody detection methods are lacking and prevalence studies have only been conducted in cattle and few countries to date, the true distribution, genetic...
As a zoonotic pathogen, the hepatitis E virus (HEV) leads to numerous infections in humans with different clinical manifestations. Especially genotype 3, as causative agent of a foodborne zoonosis, is transmitted to humans by ingestion of undercooked or raw meat containing liver from HEV infected animals. Although the virus' prevalence and dissemin...
Abstract
This report presents the results of field activities in relation to the generation of reliable wild boar density values by camera trapping (CT) in 19 areas in Europe, mainly in East Europe. Random Encounter Model (REM) densities ranged from 0.35±0.24 to 15.25±2.41 (SE) individuals/km2. No statistical differences in density among bioregion...
The definition of the most relevant parameters that describe the wild boar (WB) population dynamics is essential to guide African swine fever (ASF) control policies. These parameters should be framed considering different contexts, such as geographic, ecological and management contexts, and gaps of data useful for the parameter definition should be...
In a previous report, ENETWILD proposed a generic model framework to predict habitat suitability and likely occurrence for wild ruminant species using opportunistic presence data (occurrence records for wild ungulate species from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility). In this report, for the first time, we develop models based on hunting yi...
The 2nd ENETWILD Annual General Meeting took place on 5‐6th October 2021, bringing together experts, stakeholders and ENETWILD collaborators in online workshop discussions. First, workshop discussions contributed to the analysis and proposal of approaches for a harmonized European‐wide wildlife monitoring framework able of sustaining coordinated de...
The ENETWILD consortium (www.enetwild.com) aims at progressively defining the spatial interface between wild ungulates and livestock in Europe, which is essential to evaluate the risk for shared diseases. This is to provide preliminary risk maps of possible wild‐domestic interfaces at European scale using relatively similar sized regions by compili...
Understanding the spatio‐temporal distribution of ungulates is important for effective wildlife management, particularly for economically and ecologically important species such as wild boar (Sus scrofa). Wild boars are generally considered to exhibit substantial behavioral flexibility, but it is unclear how their behavior varies across different c...
High wild boar population densities lead to demands for a population reduction to avoid crop damages or epidemic diseases. Along with biological studies, a better understanding of the human influence on wildlife and on wildlife management is important. We conducted inquiries on hunting methods and on hunters’ attitudes in the Federal State of Lower...
Raw data to
Keuling, O.; Strauß, E.; Siebert, U. How Do Hunters Hunt Wild Boar? Survey on Wild Boar Hunting Methods in the Federal State of Lower Saxony. Animals 2021, 11, 2658. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ani11092658
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...
In the previous ENETWILD model, the predicted patterns of wild boar abundance based on hunting yield data reached an acceptable reliability when the model was downscaled to higher spatial resolution. This new approach, based on the modelling of hunting yield densities instead of hunting yield counts and the assessment of spatial autocorrelation, wa...
Hunting can easily be linked to stress in wildlife. Drive hunts performed two to three times in one area during the respective hunting period, are thought to decrease the pressure hunting places on wildlife. Nevertheless, the expression of cortisol—one of the main mammalian stress hormones—is considered to have negative impacts on animals’ well-bei...
Background:
The wild boar population in Europe is steadily growing, one of the reasons for this increase probably being the high reproductive potential of this large mammal. Population management is important to stabilise wild boar numbers and a great deal of attention is focusing on the reasons, which might contribute to the high reproductive rat...
The ubiquitous wild boar is causing diverse and growing conflicts of socio-ecological and economic relevance worldwide. For that reason, knowledge of its spatial ecology is crucial to designing effective management programmes. But this knowledge is scarce in Mediterranean areas with mixed land uses. We describe the spatial ecology and habitat selec...
As part of a state-wide study on the breeding occurrence of Greylag Geese in Lower Saxony, the breeding populations in three selected areas (Großes Meer (53° 25′ N, 07° 17′ E), Unterems (53° 18′ N, 07° 23′ E) and Dümmer (53° 34′ N, 11° 12′ E)) were recorded using different methods in spring 2016 and the results compared. The three areas are charact...
In order to define the spatial interface between wild boar and domestic pigs in Europe, the ENETWILD consortium (www.enetwild.com) described in a preliminary report the different sources of data for domestic pigs at European scale, and developed a preliminary risk map of possible spatial interaction between both groups. This model explored and asse...
ENETWILD consortium has developed methodologies for modelling wild boar abundance distribution based on hunting yield (HY) data. Although the methodologies reached an acceptable reliability, when models were downscaled to higher spatial resolution the predictions of absolute numbers of hunted animals tended to overprediction. Some important issues...
Although the almost worldwide distributed wild boar Sus scrofa is a well-studied species, little is known about the behaviour of autochthonous, free living wild boar in a spatiotemporal context which can help to better understand wild boar in conflict terms with humans and to find solutions. The use of camera traps is a favourable and non-invasive...
This guidance reviews the methods for estimating relative abundance and density in nine large European wild carnivore species, somerepresenting relevant health concerns andprovides insights on how to obtain reliable estimations by using those methods. On a local scale, the appropriate method should take into accountthe characteristics of the study...
The general aim of this guidance is to review the methods for estimating relative abundance and density in wild ruminant species and give insights on how to obtain reliable estimations by using those methods. The results are a possible guideline on best practices to improve the accuracy and comparability of density methods. For these purposes, we r...
The ENETWILD consortium updated in August 2019 suitability maps of wild boar occurrence and relative abundance based on hunting statistics, providing predictions at 10x10 km. External validation of this relative abundance model and a new downscaling on a 2x2 km grid was addressed in the ENETWILD report in January 2020. In this report, we update and...
Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is a key topic in conservation and agricultural research. Decision makers need evidence‐based information to design sustainable management plans and policy instruments. However, providing objective decision support can be challenging because realities and perceptions of human–wildlife interactions vary widely between a...
Only little is known about the effect of stress (both short-term and long-term) on wildlife species. To get an idea of stress in wildlife, we investigated the cortisol level of wild boar during drive hunts in Lower Saxony, Germany. Cortisol as one of the main stress hormone in mammals is considered to have negative impacts on the animal’s well-bein...
The ENETWILD consortium provided in August 2019 a map at 10x10 km resolution for wild boar abundance based on hunting data. The availability of prediction maps at a spatial resolution comparable with the one of the home range of wild boar can be useful for further evaluation of risk of spread of African swine fever (ASF). Therefore, predictions of...
Hunting statistics can be suitable to determine wild boar density estimates if a calibration with an accepted rigorous method is performed. Here, densities calculated from drive counts during collective drive hunting activities are compared against density values calculated by camera trapping using the random encounter method. For this purpose, we...
In October 2018 the ENETWILD consortium created suitability maps based on available data on wild boar occurrence at 10 km square resolution and initial version of abundance models based on hunting statistics at NUTS3 and NUTS2 resolution, that were statistically downscaled for MSs to 10x10 km grid squares. This report presents updated suitability m...
In 2007, the current outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), which severely affects wild boar populations and pigs, reached the Caucasus region. Since then, the virus has spread into eastern Europe and some places in central and western Europe (such as Belgium) through wild boar, domestic pigs, and human activities. The virus has raised serious conc...
Pegiviruses belong to the family Flaviviridae and have been found in humans and other mammalian species. To date eleven different pegivirus species (Pegivirus A-K) have been described. However, little is known about the tissue tropism and replication of pegiviruses. In 2016, a so far unknown porcine pegivirus (PPgV, Pegivirus K) was described and p...
Background: Multiple paternity (i.e. when the litter of a pregnant female is fertilized by more than one male) is common in a variety of animal taxa, including several ungulate species. It is generally believed that dominant males of European wild boar (Sus scrofa) monopolize several females, suggesting that multiple paternity is a rare phenomenon...
Preliminary results of currently running camera trapping project
The aim of this guidance is to assess the accuracy and reliability of the methods for estimation of density (i.e. population size per area unit) and relative abundance (i.e. relative representation of a species in a particular ecosystem, a kind of proxy of the density) of wild boar and to provide indications for calculating reliable and accurate es...
The recently identified atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV) was demonstrated to be the causative agent of the neurological disorder “congenital tremor” in newborn piglets. Despite its relevance and wide distribution in domestic pigs, so far nothing is known about the situation in wild boar, representing an important wild animal reservoir for the rel...
Die Schwarzwildbestände sind Europaweit immer noch steigend, auch wenn in einigen Ländern oder Regionen derzeit eine Stagnation der Schwarzwildstrecken zu verzeichnen ist. Das Standorttreue Schwarzwild könnte in relativ kleinen Managementeinheiten gemanagt werden. Ein Übergreifendes Management ist v.a. aufgrund der Anpassungsfähigkeit dieser Wildar...
Inter‐individual contacts in wildlife populations are usually highly heterogeneous. This variation translates into differential disease transmission rates between individuals, which have vital consequences for the spread, persistence, and control of infectious diseases. Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is an abundant game species across Europe that poses ser...
Names Genus: Sus Linnaeus, 1758 New proposed species: Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758; Sus nigripes Blanford, 1875; Sus ussuricus Heude, 1888; Sus moupinensis Milne-Edwards, 1871; Sus chirodontus Heude, 1888; Sus leucomystax Temminck, 1842; Sus riukiuanus Kuroda, 1924; Sus taevanus Swinhoe, 1863; Sus davidi Groves, 1981; Sus cristatus Wagner, 1839; Sus v...
Seit Jahren wird der Anbau von Wildpflanzenmischungen für die Biogasproduktion getestet, um Vorteile für Wild und Natur zu erreichen. Ob der gewünschte Effekt erzielt werden kann, erforschten jetzt Wissenschaftler von der Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover.
Wild boar populations increased in Europe in the last decades and cause problems like crop damage, disease transmission and vehicle accidents. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the underlying causes to reduce populations effectively. Wild boar reproductive capacity is one of the highest among mammals. Thus, factors determining wild boar rep...
Short report about colour banding of Greylags in Lower Saxony and call for help to hunters reporting their sightings.
Moderene technologiën zorgen ervoor dat we dieren op een veel nauwkeurigere manier kunnen bestuderen. Dankzij GPS-halsbanden slagen we erin om bewegingspatronen van everzwijnen gedetailleerd weer te geven. Deze gegevens kunnen gebruikt worden om schade door everzwijnen in kaart te brengen en de groeiende populatie op een duurzame manier te beheren.
As the second largest cause of biodiversity loss worldwide, there is an urgent need to study the dynamics of biological invasions and identify factors limiting the distribution of invasive alien species. In the present study we analyze national-scale hunting bag data from Germany to predict the dispersal of raccoons in the largest non-native popula...
In recent decades, the wild boar Sus scrofa has simultaneously increased its population size and colonized new habitats, causing more ecological and socio-economic concern than perhaps any other ungulate species. However, the drivers and mechanisms of the species' spatial ecology remain poorly understood. Thanks to a recently developed framework, t...
Wild boar management is still a main objective in wildlife research - worldwide. Establishing management strategies is difficult on a small scale, on a larger scale it is a real challenge. Thus, knowledge on influencing factors and changes is permanently needed. I present some results of 20 years of wild boar research in Lower Saxony (double size o...
All over Europe wild boar (Sus scrofa) population densities are increasing and spreading into agricultural and cultivated regions. As a result economic problems, like field damages and thread of diseases outbreak rise. So far most studies were conducted in forests, were recently the wild boar mainly occurred. From 2011 until 2013 a project took pla...