Effects of Diversionary Feeding on Raccoon Home Range, Movements, and Habitat Use in Southwestern Georgia (Graduate Project)

Research Team: Theresa Storey (Graduate Student), Dr. L. Michael Conner (Associate Scientist) and Dr. Bob Warren (University of Georgia)

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are considered a major predator of many ground-nesting species. Because food abundance may affect raccoon behavior and may offer a novel approach to managing nest predation, we examined the effects of diversionary feeding (i.e., providing an alternative food source to decrease depredation) as a tool for controlling depredation. We provided diversionary food, primarily along roads, to radio-collared raccoons (n = 26) during spring-summer 1999 and 2000. Raccoon Feeding We monitored control raccoons (i.e., not exposed to supplemental food; n = 22) to verify responses of treated raccoons. Raccoons were monitored during prefeeding periods to allow comparisons of behavior to feeding periods. Diversionary feeding did not affect home range size, dispersal of animal locations or average distance between animal locations and feeder-sites. There was no difference in road-use in response to supplemental food. We observed increased movement rates in fed raccoons in 1999 and 2000. Diversionary feeding did not affect habitat use. Raccoons did not select habitats differently between prefeeding and feeding periods (P = 0.74). The increased movement rates indicated that supplementally fed raccoons altered their behavior. We hypothesize that increased movement rates with constant activity patterns may be explained by decreased foraging and increased straight-line movement, possibly resulting in decreased foraging time. Because other aspects of raccoon behavior seemed unaffected by diversionary food, we believe that native food abundance may not be the limiting factor on our study area. We recommend further research into the effects of diversionary feeding in areas where native food is less abundant.

Additional Information:

Storey, T. H., L. M. Conner, and R. J. Warren. (In Prep). The effects of diversionary feeding on raccoon home range, movements, and habitat use in southwestern Georgia. (To be submitted to the Journal of Wildlife Management)

Funded by: The Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, The University of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources