The editor’s choice is the article by Hagen et al.
Conservation practice is full of untested paradigms, and wildlife rehabilitation is one of them. Rescuing, treating, and subsequent releasing of wildlife in distress is popular because it promises to fulfill ethical responsibilities by combining animal welfare with conservation benefits. While there is much hope among conservationists and the general public for the success of rehabilitated wildlife, many scientists believe these efforts are insignificant for conservation. However, robust scientific assessments of rehabilitation outcomes are rare.
In their unprecedented, continental-scale study, Christian Hagen and co-authors used advanced demographic modelling techniques to analyse the effects of raptor rehabilitation on wild populations across the USA. They found that rehabilitation had obvious beneficial effects for some raptor species but more limited impacts for others. The evidence suggests that in many species released rehabilitated raptors are more than “dead birds flying”.
/Ilse Storch
Editor-in-Chief
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