Here, we provide unique photo documentation and observational evidence of rescue behaviour described for the first time in wild boar. Rescue behaviour represents an extreme form of prosocial behaviour that has so far only been demonstrated in a few species. It refers to a situation when one individual acts to help another individual that finds itself in a dangerous or stressful situation and it is considered by some authors as a complex form of empathy. We documented a case in which an adult female wild boar manipulated wooden logs securing the door mechanism of a cage trap and released two entrapped young wild boars. The whole rescue was fast and particular behaviours were complex and precisely targeted, suggesting profound prosocial tendencies and exceptional problem-solving capacities in wild boar. The rescue behaviour might have been motivated by empathy because the rescuer female exhibited piloerection, a sign of distress, indicating an empathetic emotional state matching or understanding the victims. We discuss this rescue behaviour in the light of possible underlying motivators, including empathy, learning and social facilitation.

Who conducts biological research, where they do it and how results are disseminated vary among geographies and identities. Identifying and documenting these forms of bias by research communities is a critical step towards addressing them. We documented perceived and observed biases in movement ecology, a rapidly expanding sub-discipline of biology, which is strongly underpinned by fieldwork and technology use. We surveyed attendees before an international conference to assess a baseline within-discipline perceived bias (uninformed perceived bias). We analysed geographic patterns in Movement Ecology articles, finding discrepancies between the country of the authors’ affiliation and study site location, related to national economics. We analysed race-gender identities of USA biology researchers (the closest to our sub-discipline with data available), finding that they differed from national demographics. Finally, we discussed the quantitatively observed bias at the conference, to assess within-discipline perceived bias informed with observational data (informed perceived bias). Although the survey indicated most conference participants as bias-aware, conversations only covered a subset of biases. We discuss potential causes of bias (parachute-science, fieldwork accessibility), solutions and the need to evaluate mitigatory action effectiveness. Undertaking data-driven analysis of bias within sub-disciplines can help identify specific barriers and move towards the inclusion of a greater diversity of participants in the scientific process.

Many animals return to their home areas (i.e., ‘homing’) after translocation to sites further away. Such translocations have traditionally been used in behavioral ecology to understand the orientation and migration behavior of animals. The movement itself can then be followed by marking and recapturing animals or by tracking, for example, using GPS systems. Most detailed studies investigating this behavior have been conducted in smaller vertebrates (e.g., birds, amphibians, and mice), whereas information on larger mammals, such as red deer, is sparse. We conducted GPS-assisted translocation experiments with red deer at two sites in the Czech Republic. Individuals were translocated over a distance of approximately 11 km and their home journey was tracked. Circular statistics were used to test for significant homeward orientation at distances of 100, 500, 1000, and 5000 m from the release site. In addition, we applied Lavielle trajectory segmentation to identify the different phases of homing behavior. Thirty-one out of 35 translocations resulted in successful homing, with a median time of 4.75 days (range 1.23–100 days). Animals were significantly oriented towards home immediately after release and again when they came closer to home; however, they did not show a significant orientation at the distances in between. We were able to identify three homing phases, an initial ‘exploratory phase’, followed by a ‘homing phase’ which sometimes was again followed by an ‘arrival phase’. The ‘homing phase’ was characterized by the straightest paths and fastest movements. However, the variation between translocation events was considerable. We showed good homing abilities of red deer after translocation. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of conducting experiments with environmental manipulations (e.g., to impede the use of sensory cues) close to the release site. The homing behavior of red deer is comparable to that of other species, and might represent general homing behavior patterns in animals. Follow-up studies should further dissect and investigate the drivers of the individual variations observed and try to identify the sensory cues used during homing.

Wild boars are an opportunistic wildlife species that has successfully colonized the human-modified landscape in Europe. However, the current population boom has negative consequences, which result in a rapid increase in human–wildlife conflicts and disease transmission, including African swine fever (ASF). The increasing frequency of conflicts requires adequate solutions for these issues through various measures. Application of deterrents is a common non-lethal measure whose effects have been insufficiently verified until recently. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of odor fences, often applied as a barrier against wild boar movement. For this purpose, 18 wild boars were marked with GPS collars. After 22 days of initial monitoring, 12 sections of odor fences were installed on their home ranges. The monitored wild boars crossed the area 20.5 ± 9.2 times during the pre-installation period and 19.9 ± 8.4 times after the odor fence installation. Moreover, the average home range varied between 377.9 ± 185.0 ha before and 378.1 ± 142.2 ha after the odor fence installation. Based on GPS telemetry results, we do not support using odor repellent lines for crop protection or for limiting wild boar movement to lessen ASF outbreaks.

Currently, African swine fever (ASF), a highly fatal disease has become pervasive, with outbreaks recorded across European countries, leading to preventative measures to restrict wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) movement, and, therefore, keep ASF from spreading. This study aims to detail how specific human activities—defined as “car”, “dog”, “chainsaw”, and “tourism”—affect wild boar behavior, considering the disturbance proximity, and evaluate possible implications for wild boar management in ASF-affected areas. Wild boar behavior was studied using advanced biologging technology. This study tracks and analyzes wild boar movements and behavioral responses to human disturbances. This study utilizes the dead reckoning method to precisely reconstruct the animal movements and evaluate behavioral changes based on proximity to disturbances. The sound of specific human activities was reproduced for telemetered animals from forest roads from different distances. Statistical analyses show that wild boars exhibit increased vigilance and altered movement patterns in response to closer human activity, but only in a small number of cases and with no significantly longer time scale. The relative representation of behaviors after disruption confirmed a high instance of resting behavior (83%). Running was the least observed reaction in only 0.9% of all cases. The remaining reactions were identified as foraging (5.1%), walking (5.0%), standing (2.2%), and other (3.8%). The findings suggest that while human presence and activities do influence wild boar behavior, adherence to movement restrictions and careful management of human activity in ASF-infected areas is not a necessary measure if human movement is limited to forest roads.

Biologging has proven to be a powerful approach to investigate diverse questions related to movement ecology across a range of spatiotemporal scales and increasingly relies on multidisciplinary expertise. However, the variety of animal‐borne equipment, coupled with little consensus regarding analytical approaches to interpret large, complex data sets presents challenges and makes comparison between studies and study species difficult. Here, we present a combined hardware and analytical approach for standardizing the collection, analysis, and interpretation of multisensor biologging data. Here, we present (i) a custom‐designed integrated multisensor collar (IMSC), which was field tested on 71 free‐ranging wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) over 2 years; (ii) a machine learning behavioral classifier capable of identifying six behaviors in free‐roaming boar, validated across individuals equipped with differing collar designs; and (iii) laboratory and field‐based calibration and accuracy assessments of animal magnetic heading measurements derived from raw magnetometer data. The IMSC capacity and durability exceeded expectations, with a 94% collar recovery rate and a 75% cumulative data recording success rate, with a maximum logging duration of 421 days. The behavioral classifier had an overall accuracy of 85% in identifying the six behavioral classes when tested on multiple collar designs and improved to 90% when tested on data exclusively from the IMSC. Both laboratory and field tests of magnetic compass headings were in precise agreement with expectations, with overall median magnetic headings deviating from ground truth observations by 1.7° and 0°, respectively. Although multisensor equipment and sophisticated analyses are now commonplace in biologging studies, the IMSC hardware and analytical framework presented here provide a valuable tool for biologging researchers and will facilitate standardization of biologging data across studies. In addition, we highlight the potential of additional analyses available using this framework that can be adapted for use in future studies on terrestrial mammals.