The Beasts at Large – Perennial Questions and New Paradigms for Caribbean Translocation Research. Part I: Ethnozoogeography of Mammals

ABSTRACT

While researchers have long appreciated that mammal introductions were an important aspect of Amerindian-environment interaction in the prehistoric Caribbean, persistent questions about dispersal routes, animal management practices, possible domestication, and ritual use remain unresolved. In this three-article series, offered as a model approach for prehistoric translocation studies, I review the present state of knowledge on pre-Columbian Caribbean mammal translocations, focusing on three fundamental areas: (1) ethnozoogeographic distributions; (2) the sociocultural significance of translocated fauna; and (3) the ecological impact of introduced species. Here, in Part I, I consider species introduction patterns in relation to dispersal modes, the need to distinguish live introductions from the import of animal products, and the importance of direct-dating specimens to establish translocation chronology. In subsequent papers I explore topics II and III, advocating for a holistic approach to translocation research that integrates all three investigative areas to address larger questions about the role of introduced mammals in island society and ecology and their impact on human adaptation to the landscape. This first paper provides foundations for an ensuing final discussion in which I argue that intentional faunal translocation is sufficiently robust as a behavioural phenomenon across time and space to warrant theoretical treatment from an evolutionary perspective.     

红外相机技术在石窟寺与古建筑动物活动监测中的应用

2018年1月至2021年6月，采用红外相机技术监测了以石窟寺与古建筑为代表的4处遗产地动物活动，共布设相机22台，累计9 463个相机日，获得野生动物独立有效照片10 946张，监测到鸟兽类合计6目13科18种；依据相对多度指数(RAI)确定莫高窟、炳灵寺石窟、麦积山石窟和紫金庵典型优势物种分别为：大沙鼠(Rhombomys opimus)(RAI:35.75)、岩鸽(Columba rupestris)(RAI:75.99)、岩松鼠(Sciurotamias davidianus)(RAI:43.17)和珀氏长吻松鼠(Dremomys pernyi)(RAI:43.65);4种优势物种季节性活动均表现为夏季最高，冬季最低；月活动节律为每年8月最高，1月最低；大沙鼠、岩鸽、岩松鼠、珀氏长吻松鼠日活动高峰分别为8∶00～10∶00、10∶00～12∶00、10∶00～12∶00、2∶00～4∶00。鸟兽类主要通过抓痕、筑巢、粪便污染等形式危害文物，结合上述研究，提出了针对性的防治措施建议。研究结果为厘清遗产地动物种群特征、活动节律以及动物防治提供了技术支撑和科学依据。     

Othering,governing, and resistance of abject urban animals: Egyptian geese and their right to the city

In this paper, we examine the controversy over the use of urban green spaces and water bodies by Egyptian geese in the German city of Frankfurt am Main as an example of more-than-human political conflicts over the right to an environmentally just city. Specifically, we analyze the media discourse and interviews that we conducted as multispecies go-alongs to identify how othering in media and policy constitutes Egyptian geese legally and discursively as “alien, invasive, and aggressive” as well as “disgusting, polluting, and health-threatening.” This othering constructs Egyptian geese as abject animals and justifies their governing through “geese management” technologies, ranging from monitoring to atmospheric engineering and to killing the birds. While the management objective is to displace the Egyptian geese from urban spaces dedicated for human recreation, these spaces also turn out to be places of animal resistance.