Suchergebnisse

In many suburban parts of Australia the removal of snakes from private property by licenced snake catchers is employed to mitigate perceived risks to humans and their pets. The number of snakes translocated around greater Melbourne, Victoria, each year can be very high (at least many hundreds). However, the effects of translocation on the behaviour and welfare of individual snakes, and the impact on existing snake populations at release sites are unknown. We used radio-telemetry of 'resident' and translocated snakes to investigate the consequences of translocation on the spatial ecology of tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus) in a suburban parkland near Melbourne. Fourteen snakes (two female and four male residents, and four female and four male translocated snakes) implanted with radio-transmitters were tracked between spring 2002 and autumn 2003. Translocated snakes exhibited home ranges ~6 times larger than those of residents, although each group maintained core ranges of similar size. Translocated snakes travelled longer distances and were often located in residential areas adjacent to the park, whereas resident snakes were never located outside of the park.

Translocation of snakes is a common practice for managing human–snake conflict in many parts of Australia. The impact of this management on individual snakes is not known. Differences between translocated and non-translocated snakes in terms of their activity patterns and habitat use are likely to indicate an impact on individual snakes from this procedure. We investigated these issues in a suburban parkland close to Melbourne for one of the most familiar of these snakes, the tiger snake (Notechis scutatus). This parkland is frequently used by licenced snake controllers to release snakes that have been removed from nearby private properties at the owner's request. We used two techniques to assess activity patterns and habitat preferences of resident and translocated snakes: direct observations of tiger snakes that were resident in the park, and radiotelemetry to compare a subset of resident snakes with translocated conspecifics. The size of our transmitters dictated that we only use telemetry for large snakes (≥750 mm snout–vent length), even though the resident population consisted mainly of intermediate-sized females (560–760 mm snout–vent length). Non-telemetred resident snakes were readily observed during spring, but rarely observed in summer and early autumn. Translocated snakes travelled greater distances than resident telemetred snakes, although there was no difference in the frequency of movements. For both groups the degree of cloud cover and maximum daily temperature had a significant influence on daily activity, with snakes being more likely to be active on relatively cool, sunny days. Relative humidity, wind speed and rainfall did not exert a significant influence on activity. Snakes exhibited bimodal peaks in daily activity, avoiding the hottest part of the day. Both resident and translocated snakes showed a preference for grassy woodlands associated with hills, but avoided escarpment woodlands and open plains. Floodplain riparian woodland was avoided by resident snakes, but used in proportion to its availability by translocated snakes. Because translocated snakes released at the study site moved larger distances and showed different habitat preferences to resident snakes we conclude that this practice influences individual snakes. Until the implications of translocation for both snakes and humans are fully understood, we recommend caution in the use of this management practice.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present the self-described "journey" of a person with dementia (Brian; author 3) in his re-learning of old technologies and learning of new ones and the impact this had on his life.Design/methodology/approach– This is a single case study detailing the participant's experiences collaborating with a researcher to co-create methods of facilitating this learning process, which he documented in the form of an online blog and diary entries. These were analysed using NVivo to reveal the key themes.Findings– Brian was able to relearn previously used technologies and learn two new ones. This lead to an overarching theme of positive outlook on life supported by person-centredness, identity and technology, which challenged negative perceptions about dementia.Research limitations/implications– The paper provides an example of how learning and technology improved the life of one person with dementia. By sharing the approach the authors hope to encourage others to embrace the challenge of designing and developing innovative solutions for people with a dementia diagnosis by leveraging both current mainstream technology and creating novel bespoke interventions for dementia.Originality/value– The personal perspective of a person with dementia and his experiences of (re-) learning provide a unique insight into the impact of technology on his life.