The long-tailed goral (Naemorhedus caudatus) is a critically endangered herbivore in South Korea. Despite government efforts to recover the population through reintroduction programs, the animal remains vulnerable to heavy snowfall. From March to June 2010, 24 animals were found dead due to heavy snowfall in the Wangpi Stream basin. In this study, we hypothesized that gorals that died due to snowfall are low-status individuals that lived in the sub-optimal or non-suitable areas. Using the occurrence data from extensive field surveys from 2008 to 2010 in the Wangpi Stream and the carcass location data, we (1) defined the goral habitat characteristics and (2) compared the habitat characteristics between dead and living gorals using ensemble species distribution modeling. The results suggested that the sites where dead gorals were found were highly related to typical goral habitats. These results implied that the optimal goral habitats could become uninhabitable following heavy snowfall. Most of the dead animals were pregnant females or were young, implying that they could not escape their primary habitats due to lower mobility. Thus, when there is a climate catastrophe, the optimal goral habitats should be considered for rescue and artificial feeding.

Fences have been widely implemented to reduce the risk of wildlife–vehicle collisions, wildlife disease spread, and crop damage. To manufacture fences, it is imperative to assess the behavioural responses of the target species. Here, we investigated the success rate of fences and classified eight behavioural responses of Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) to different fence heights. We explored the association of 801 behavioural responses and defined a threshold based on 40 events by applying non-metric multidimensional scaling and a binary logistic generalised linear mixed model. With fences lower and higher than 1.2 m, recession and rest were the dominant behaviours, respectively, before the deer crossed the fences by performing vertical and running jumps. Considering all independent events, 0.9 m was the marginal threshold, with highly variable outliers over this value. Placing exit pathways for deer and eliminating possible resting areas outside fences are essential for reducing the number of successful jump attempts. The optimal fence height could differ based on conditional factors; however, we recommend a height of 1.5 m considering the cost and roadkill risk. In conclusion, exploring and classifying the behavioural responses of the target species may be critical for establishing appropriate fence protocols.

Roadkill has been one of the most problematic issues with wildlife under urbanization. South Korea, one of the fastest industrializing countries in the world, has been affected by the same roadkill issues and has researched how to mitigate wildlife–vehicle collisions (WVCs). In the present study, we aimed to (i) review scientific studies concerning roadkill conducted in South Korea (51 domestic, 15 international papers, 19 reports, and 1 thesis), (ii) compare bibliographic networks between international and South Korean roadkill studies, and (iii) discuss future challenges. From a search in the core collection of Web of Science peer-reviewed papers published from 1992 to 2022, keywords were extracted to create a bibliometric visualization map, using VOSviewer. Among the 85 articles related to WVCs, those about eco-corridors have steadily increased since 1998, while mitigation system and roadkill articles have been published since the mid-2000s. With increased awareness, more systems have been established, and research related to WVCs has been increasingly established. Currently, there are two systematic roadkill monitoring systems in South Korea, and an increasing number of modeling studies have suggested where roadkill hotspots are located. How to mitigate roadkill incidents has also been explored. A comparison of associations between international and Korean research shows that the network structures of Korean society were more disconnected and less dispersed. In addition, the keywords were narrower than those used in studies from the international community. Although studies on landscape connectivity and road ecology are few, their number and scope in South Korea have increased and broadened. These studies could be more rapidly developed in the future as some systems are equipped.

Hee-Bok Park and Anya Lim*. J Ecol Environ 2023;47:. https://doi.org/10.5141/jee.23.066

The long-tailed goral, Naemorhedus caudatus (Mammalia: Bovidae), is one of the endangered animals in the Republic of Korea (Korea). Sarcoptic mange mites infested in diverse species of mammals, including humans, but no case has been reported in long-tailed gorals. We report 2 cases of mange mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, infestation in long-tailed gorals. Mange mites were sampled in the skin legions of the 2 long-tailed gorals, which were rescued in 2 different regions, Uljin-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do and Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do, Korea. Our results showed that the ectoparasite was the itch mite that burrowed into skin and caused scabies on the morphological inspection and placed within the phylogenetic relations of the species. The present study confirmed for the first time in Korea that mange mites are pathogenic scabies of long-tailed goral. Closer surveillance of this pathogenic ectoparasite in zoonotic and infectious ecosystems is warranted.