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Jamaican Hutia. Photo credit: Ricardo Miller

The Jamaican Hutia (Geocapromys brownii) goes by a few local names, such as the Coney or Grazie. The species is endemic to Jamaica and was moved from Vulnerable to Endangered on the IUCN Red List. It is a rabbit-sized nocturnal rodent with dark brown through to reddish brown fur and is the only remaining extant non-flying mammal on the island.

As it the case for many species, there are likely to be multiple threats, some of which are poorly understood. It is thought that ongoing human-induced habitat loss and degradation across the island, as well as hunting, continue to be major threats to this species. Predation by introduced dogs, cats, and mongoose may also pose a risk.

PhD student 

Jennifer Panitz started on the London DTP , selecting the project this year.

Jennifer Panitz

“I am a PhD student at the ZSL Institute of Zoology, University College London, and the Natural History Museum London. My project revolves around the Jamaican Coney (Geocapromys brownii) and the sustainability of human-coney co-existence in Jamaica. Previously I completed an MSc in biodiversity, evolution, and conservation at Middlesex University with a project focusing on microplastics in aquatic snails. I also have a PGCert in Applied Meteorology from the University of Reading. Prior to that I worked as an epidemiologist in the COVID-19 response at Public Health England. I have conducted various research projects in Germany, the United States, and Canada.

I am a proponent of interdisciplinary and collaborative methods and am excited to draw on ecological, anthropological, and genomic approaches for my PhD research. I hope to generate data that will help inform Jamaican Coney conservation and preserve small mammal diversity.” 

The project

Along with the other institutions, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is a CASE partner on the PhD project.

The PhD research will use multiple approaches to answer key questions about the ecology and conservation needs for the species, including:

(1) targeted studies of coney ecology, including how hutias utilise both forest and agricultural land in human-occupied landscapes

(2) ancient DNA work to understand the changing genetic status of coney populations through time, to assess the impact of local human pressures such as hunting over the past century

(3) community-based research to understand people’s knowledge and attitudes about local coney  populations, such as the cultural and financial significance of natural resources, in particular, of coney hunting. These will be used to investigate issues around alleviating human-wildlife conflict associated with coneys as crop pests, and with scope to develop a wider-scale interview survey to help understand the species’ distribution and status across different parts of Jamaica through the use of Local Ecological Knowledge.

One of the likely field sites will be in the Blue and John Crow Mountain National Park in Eastern Jamaica.

We would like to say a huge thank you to our SMSG core funders for 2024- Re:wild and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

The New Guinea region is known for being one of the most species-rich places in the world. Located north of Australia and south-east of Asia, New Guinea’s topographical complexity and geographic isolation has given rise to a huge diversity of life, much of it endemic.

The island is home to at least 40 small mammal species found nowhere else on earth. However, small mammals in this region are not extensively monitored and we know little about their ranges, population statuses and threats.

The expeditions

Daniel Solomon Okena, who has recently joined the SMSG, is a Papua New Guinean researcher affiliated with the University of South Bohemia (Czech Republic). Daniel’s PhD project aims to improve knowledge of the island’s mammal life by surveying non-volant mammal communities along an elevational gradient in Huon Peninsula, north-eastern Papua New Guinea.

Daniel has already sampled a range of sites up to an incredible 3,700 m in elevation. Working in a range of habitats including dense lowland forest, montane cloud forest and alpine grasslands, Daniel and his team use survey methods such as Elliott and pitfall trapping, as well as interviews with local hunters. Sometimes, hunters are willing to share skulls and other objects with the team which help to build an understanding of where certain species are found.

Although conducting research in these remote mountain sites comes with the obvious challenges of accessing steep and dangerous bush tracks, Daniel is undeterred. He says:

“Just being out there in the field camp is so amazing. You get to enjoy nature. But when you start to see mammals up close from traps and hunters, the adrenaline reaches another level.”

The findings

So far, the study has documented a range of rodents, marsupials and a monotreme (possibly the first Eastern Long-beaked Echidna Zaglossus bartoni ever recorded via pitfall trapping). Daniel’s rodent results include a number of endemic species such as Shaw Mayer’s Shrew Mouse Pseudohydromys ellermani (Least Concern), the Greater Small-toothed Rat Macruromys major (Least Concern) and Southern Groove-toothed Moss Mouse Microhydromys argenteus (Data Deficient). Gathering new records of Data Deficient rodents such as the latter will be particularly useful when updating their Red List assessments, giving us a better idea of the distributional spread and potential conservation statuses of little-studied taxa.

The next stage of the PhD focuses on increased pitfall trapping to detect species that other methods might fail to find. In addition, Daniel continues to work on identifying any specimens collected. This includes specimens that might look quite similar but are completely different taxa – a common issue when it comes to certain rodent groups! Daniel will make use of genetic sequencing to tackle this. We look forward to hearing more about what these analyses reveal.

Daniel Solomon Okena’s PhD is supported by the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Science (in collaboration with the New Guinea Binatang Center), the University of South Bohemia and Charles University (in collaboration with the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy Science).

Author: Abi Gazzard (SMSG Programme Officer)

Erinaceus europaeus

On the 13th-14th January 2024, over 200 wildlife rehabilitators, researchers and conservation practitioners gathered at Hartpury University (UK) for the International Conference for Hedgehog Rehabilitators. The meeting presented the perfect opportunity for strengthening collaboration between hedgehog scientists and carers around the world! 

A variety of topics were covered during the two-day conference. Attendees had the chance to hear from UK NGOs about hedgehog conservation plans, from vets presenting talks on medical treatment and intervention, and from researchers discussing projects on pesticides, diet and wildlife rescue. Co-organisers Dr Lucy Bearman-Brown and Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen hosted workshops on the development of an international hedgehog records database as well as research priorities.  

Whilst most of the attendees’ work focuses on the West European Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), there was also talk of other Erinaceids including the Northern White-breasted Hedgehog (Erinaceus roumanicus), which is found in contact zones with E. europaeus. Dr Barbora Bolfíková has been studying the genetics of hedgehogs in these overlapping areas of distribution. The SMSG’s Programme Officer, Dr Abi Gazzard, spoke about two additional species, the Long-eared (Hemiechinus auritus) and North African Hedgehog (Atelerix algirus), in the presentation “Assessing the Statuses of Hedgehogs in Europe”, giving an overview Red Listing and where the obvious data gaps occur. We also heard about a hedgehog from southern India: SMSG member Dr Brawin Kumar introduced us to his Madras Hedgehog (Paraechinus nudiventris) project. Brawin’s work has done an excellent job of raising the profile of this little-known species. Through school sessions, traditional puppet shows, comic books, and questionnaire surveys, Brawin has engaged with local communities across the Tamil Nadu region. 

Rounding off the conference, the attendees heard about hedgehogs from a different angle – as pests. In Uist, Scotland, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is developing a project to conserve ground-nesting birds threatened by introduced West European Hedgehogs, though their plans consider the challenges faced by hedgehogs in their native range.  

It was brilliant to attend a conference with such an open-minded audience from a wide range of disciplines, though one common goal is clear – ensuring the preservation of these prickly, popular small mammals. 

Many thanks to the event’s organisers, supporters, speakers and attendees, and to Hartpury University for hosting us.

Below: Abi Gazzard and Brawin Kumar at the conference, and Brawin presenting on the Madras Hedgehog.

Author: Abi Gazzard (SMSG Programme Officer)

One third of remaining lost mammal species are restricted to small areas, such as islands, where they are particularly vulnerable to extinction. The Bramble Cay Melomys (Melomys rubicola) was once considered to be a lost species, but has now been declared extinct. Source: State of Queensland/Wikimedia.

Lost species are those that have been lost to science for at least a decade. Many small mammals haven’t been surveyed since their initial discovery over 100 years ago, remaining unrecorded today. Some potentially go extinct before we have a chance to find them, whilst others are thankfully ‘rediscovered’ through targeted campaigns and fieldwork. Such rediscovered species tend to have restricted ranges and remain highly threatened. Thus, rediscoveries have important conservation implications.

But why is it that some species are rediscovered and others aren’t?

New research, led by Thomas Evans (Freie Universität Berlin) with co-authors including the SMSG’s Co-Chairs, Thomas Lacher Jr and Rosalind Kennerley, has attempted to understand why certain tetrapod species are rediscovered but others not.

Creating a database of lost and rediscovered tetrapods, the researchers examined patterns in distribution and factors influencing rediscovery, such as body mass, habitat requirements and influence of human activities.

What does this mean for small mammals?

Nearly half (49%) of lost mammal species are rodents, and the research suggests that there are more lost and fewer rediscovered rodents than would be expected by chance.

Lost rodents, like other small taxa, might be perceived to be uncharismatic and are thus neglected in terms of conservation effort. They may also be hard to find – some are nocturnal or occupy habitats that are difficult for researchers to access. Whatever the reason, we need to find ways to improve efforts of searching for these neglected lost species, before it’s too late.

Read more in The Conversation article here, and find the full paper linked below:

Lindken, T. et al. (2024) What factors influence the rediscovery of lost tetrapod species? Global Change Biology 30, 1, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17107.

Author: Abi Gazzard (SMSG Programme Officer)

The 12-week Durrell Endangered Species Management Graduate Certificate (DESMAN) course is Durrell’s flagship training programme. Open to early-career conservationists, or graduate- or postgraduate-level conservationists working towards employment in the sector, DESMAN equips participants with a broad range of practical skills, knowledge and connections.

Earlier this year, the SMSG supported one of our members – Rifa Nanziba – with her application to the DESMAN course. Rifa had not-long completed her MSc degree in Environment Management during which she focused on human-squirrel conflict in rural areas of Naogaon, Bangladesh. We were thrilled when Rifa’s DESMAN application was successful and, even further, when she was granted a full scholarship to the course. From September-December, she stayed at the Durrell Conservation Academy in Jersey (Channel Islands) for her studies. Here’s what Rifa has to say about it: 

“Attending the DESMAN course at the Durrell Conservation Academy, validated by the University of Kent, was a life-changing experience for me. It opened new doors and felt like a dream come true. I am grateful for the support and recommendations from IUCN SSC SMSG Co-chair Dr Ros Kennerley, Programme Officer Dr Abi Gazzard, and my mentor, Muntasir Akash. 

I found myself drawn to the teachings of DESMAN, a course crafted to set up conservationists with a diverse array of skills, enabling them to achieve peak efficacy in managing and participating in conservation projects. Under the tutelage of the renowned scientist Carl Jones, I was initiated into the intricacies of Species and Population Management. The course imparted valuable knowledge in statistics, IUCN Red List assessments, GIS, project planning and management, research methods, and survey techniques such as camera trapping, radio telemetry, and the use of drones. Additionally, we explored topics such as human-wildlife conflict, community conservation and livelihoods, budgeting, and grant proposal writing. I had an amazing chance to meet Lee Durrell and hear about her and Gerald Durrell’s incredible conservation work and projects around the world, along with how the famous Jersey Zoo and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust were established.

What set DESMAN apart was the emphasis on practical work, complementing the theoretical lectures. As part of this, I was privileged to shadow mammal keepers for four days in Jersey Zoo, honing my mammal husbandry skills, helping me to realise that I might want to be a wildlife rehabilitator too as in my country there are not many rehabilitation centres. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to connect with a vast network of wildlife enthusiasts through Durrell, who remain eager to support me in my future endeavours. Besides all the study and technical experience, I had a blast in Jersey as the local volunteers were kind enough to take us to many beautiful and historical places on the island. As well as that, I gained a group of fellow DESMAN participants as my friends who, after staying with each other for a whole 3 months, are without any doubt also part of my knowledge, experience and networking.

After completing the DESMAN course, I feel confident in my ability to work in wildlife conservation, specifically with small mammals in Bangladesh. I am excited to apply my new knowledge and skills in this field.” 

Rifa’s final assessment was a hypothetical project proposal. She chose to write a proposal to questionnaire-survey the Santal community of Naogaon on the drivers and impacts of small mammal hunting and consumption – very little is currently known about the use of small mammals in this region. We look forward to seeing what Rifa gets up to next! 

If you are a small mammal researcher interested in furthering your skills through Durrell’s DESMAN course, or may know of suitable participants, please get in touch. Places are limited. You can find more information about the syllabus here and scholarships here. 

By Rifa Nanziba and Abi Gazzard

Author: Abi Gazzard (SMSG Programme Officer)

To find out more about our small mammal Key Species click here. 

Author: Ros Kennerley (SMSG Co-Chair)

To find out more about our small mammal Key Species click here. 

Authors: Ros Kennerley (SMSG Co-Chair) and Sam Turvey (Conservation Coordinator)