Loss of Migratory Traditions Makes the Endangered Patagonian Huemul Deer a Year-Round Refugee in Its Summer Habitat

FLUECK, WERNER; SMITH-FLUECK, JO ANNE; MIGUEL ESCOBAR; ZULIANI, MELINA; FUCHS, BEAT; GEIST, VALERIUS; HEFFELFINGER, JAMES; BLACK-DECIMA PATRICIA; GIZEJEWSKI, ZYGMUNT ; VIDAL, FERNANDO; BARRIO, JAVIER; MOLINUEVO, SILVINA; MONJEAU, JORGE ADRIAN; HOBY, STEFAN; JIMÉNEZ, JAIME

Conservation

MDPI

Año: 2021

2673-7159

Abstract: The huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) is endangered, with 1500 deer split into >100 subpop-ulations along 2000 km of Andes. Currently occupied areas are claimed-erroneously, to be criticalprime habitats. We analyzed historical spatiotemporal behavior since current patterns representonly a fraction of pre-Columbian ones. Given the limited knowledge, the first group (n = 6) in Ar-gentina was radio-marked to examine spatial behavior. Historically, huemul resided year-round inwinter ranges, while some migrated seasonally, some using grasslands >200 km east of their currentpresence, reaching the Atlantic. Moreover, huemul anatomy is adapted to open unforested habitats,also corroborated by spotless fawns. Extreme naivety towards humans resulted in early extirpationon many winter ranges—preferentially occupied by humans, resulting in refugee huemul on sur-rounding mountain summer ranges. Radio-marked huemul remained in small ranges with minimalaltitudinal movements, as known from other subpopulations. However, these resident areas docu-mented here are typical summer ranges as evidenced by past migrations, and current usage forlivestock. The huemul is the only cervid known to use mountain summer ranges year-round in re-action to anthropogenic activities. Losing migratory traditions is a major threat, and may explain their presently prevalent skeletal diseases, reduced longevity, and lacking recolonizations for mostremaining huemul subpopulations.