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The roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is native and widespread in Europe and its phylogeography has been clarified in the last decades. Southern peninsulas are considered as reservoirs of genetic diversity and the source for the recolonization of Europe after the last glacial maximum. Even though roe deer populations have been genetically characterized, there is a major knowledge gap about the populations at the western edge of its distribution. To fill this caveat, and based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data, we aim to: (i) characterize the genetic diversity and structure of roe deer in western Iberia; (ii) clarify the origins and phylogeographical affinities of these populations, namely the relict population from Peneda Gerês National Park (PNPG, Portugal) and the likely allochthonous populations from central and south (CS) Portugal; (iii) discuss the implications of our findings for the management and conservation of the roe deer. Three major genetic clusters were inferred based on nuclear genotypes and were structured in a similar way as the three major mtDNA clades present in Iberia. Patterns inferred with nuclear markers confirmed PNPG as a relict population. Roe deer from CS Portugal share haplotypes with Central Europe rather than with other western Iberian populations, confirming its mainly allochthonous origin. Our results highlight western Iberia as a diversity hotspot for roe deer. We highlight the role of intraspecific genetic diversity as a source of resilience against ongoing global changes; the need for transboundary management and the importance of genetic data to inform management and conservation. When considered, repopulation or translocation measures should follow the IUCN Law of Reintroductions and meticulously conducted in order to preserve the genetic heritage of the species.

Livestock predation by large carnivores and their persecution by local communities are major conservation concerns. In order to prevent speculations and reduce conflicts, it is crucial to get detailed and accurate data on predators’ dietary ecology, which is particularly important in human dominated landscapes where livestock densities are high. This is the case of the endangered Iberian wolf in Portugal, an endemic subspecies of the Iberian Peninsula, which has seen its population distribution and abundance decline throughout the 20th century. Accordingly, the diet of the Iberian wolf was analyzed, using scat analysis, in a humanized landscape in central Portugal. From 2011 to 2014, a total of 295 wolf scats were collected from transects distributed throughout the study area, prospected on a monthly basis. Scat analysis indicated a high dependence of Iberian wolf on livestock. Domestic goat predominated the diet (62% of the scats), followed by cow (20%) and sheep (13%); the only wild ungulate present in the scat analysis was the wild boar (4% of the scats). Our results show that even though livestock constitute most part of wolves diet, different livestock species may represent different predation opportunities. We conclude that the high levels of livestock consumption may be a result of low diversity and density of wild ungulates that settles livestock as the only abundant prey for wolves. Our findings help on the understanding of the Iberian wolf feeding ecology and have implications for conflict management strategies. Finally, management implications are discussed and solutions are recommended.

The negative impact of anthropogenic disturbance and land-use changes on large mammals is generally recognized within conservation biology. In southeastern Norway, both moose (Alces alces) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) occur throughout humanmodified landscapes, facilitating an interesting comparative study of their habitat use. By using pellet group counts, we looked at the importance of forest structure, vegetation characteristics and human disturbance (e.g., distance to the nearest house, nearest paved road, and nearest edge between field and forest) in shaping the winter distribution of both species at multiple spatial scales, in non-agricultural habitats. Moose occurred more often in areas with higher densities of heather and Vaccinium sp. in the ground layer, and used areas with more open forest structure. The proportion of built-up areas, within a 1,000-m buffer, negatively influenced moose occurrence. Roe deer occurred more often in areas with deciduous trees and patches with juniper and Vaccinium sp. in the ground layer, used areas near roads less, but were significantly associated with areas near the field–forest ecotone. The proportion of built-up areas positively influenced roe deer distribution within a 2,500-m buffer. Roe deer seem to be able to persist in more human-dominated landscapes, possibly due to the availability of field–forest edges providing both high quality fodder and cover in close proximity. Moose, on the contrary, did not show any preference for areas associated with human disturbance, and their distribution was only associated with patches providing food.

The brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) populations are expanding in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in the Cantabrian Mountains. This ongoing expansion and the species’ return to Portugal could be jeopardized by a lack of sustainable coexistence strategies. To shed light on how experiences with bears have shaped human perceptions and attitudes toward this species, we distributed online questionnaires ( n  = 441) across Portugal and Spain. In addition, we evaluated differences in attitudes and perceptions among regions with varying levels of exposure to bears: those with (BAS) or without (NBAS) bear presence in Spain and those with (BAP) or without (NBAP) the potential to sustain bears in Portugal. Despite observing overall positive attitudes toward bears, Spanish respondents showed stronger attachment and receptiveness toward the species. Respondents from BAS, having more interactions with wild bears, were also more favourable toward sharing territory with them. Conversely, Portuguese respondents showed more neutral attitudes toward bear presence, as well as higher perception of risk and lower perception of benefit than previously reported. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding the social landscape in bears’ expansion range. As human-bear interactions increase, this knowledge is key to adopt proactive and targeted socio-ecological measures to address local community’s concerns.

The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) is a top predator that inhabits the Iberian Peninsula. In Portugal, its numbers and distribution declined throughout the 20th century, due to human persecution, habitat degradation and prey decline, which have led to higher predation rates of livestock in the remaining packs. In Montesinho Natural Park (northeast Portugal), wild ungulate populations have been increasing in the last years, which may have led wolf to predate upon them. In order to assess Iberian wolf diet in this area, 85 wolf scats were collected from transects distributed throughout the study area in two periods between November 2017 and August 2019. Scat analysis indicated a high predation on wild ungulates, where the frequency of occurrence showed that roe deer was the most consumed prey (44%), followed by red deer (26%) and wild boar (24%). Domestic/wild cat (6%), domestic goat and stone marten (5%) were consumed in lower quantities. It was found a higher selection towards roe deer (D = 0.71) and this was the only prey item which was significantly dependent of the season of the year (χ2 = 16.95, df = 3, p < 0.001). This is the first study in Portugal where was recorded that wolves feed mainly on wild ungulates. We conclude that lower livestock predation may be correlated with higher wild ungulates densities in our study area, as well as suitable husbandry practices, leading to a shift on Iberian wolf diet from mainly livestock on previous studies to wild ungulates.

Free-roaming cats and dogs impact biodiversity, public health, and the welfare of other animals. Attitudes towards free-roaming animals can influence their population dynamics and management success. We conducted an online survey to evaluate social perceptions and attitudes towards free-roaming animals among self-selected Portuguese residents aged 18 or older with internet access. The survey focused on responsible ownership, perceptions and attitudes, and management practices, and allowed the collection and analysis of 1083 responses (607 for dogs and 476 for cats). Our results identified needs for improvement in pet ownership: increasing pet cat identification, reducing unsupervised outdoor access, and promoting pet dog sterilization. In terms of management strategies, we found strong support for trap–neuter–release, sheltering, sanctions on abandonment, and educational campaigns. We also found limited support for lethal control methods and fear of culling and long-term caging as barriers to reporting free-roaming animals. While our findings are based on a self-selected online sample, they establish a foundation for future research while also offering valuable guidance for policymakers and stakeholders.

Spatial epidemiology tools play a critical role in effectively allocating resources to curb the spread of animal diseases. This study focuses on classical scrapie (CS), an animal prion disease identified in Portugal, which infects small ruminant flocks and has been shown to be experimentally transmissible to wild cervids. Utilising remote sensing technologies and semi-automatic classification models, we aimed to evaluate the risk of interspecies prion transmission from domestic small ruminants to wild cervids (hosts). To achieve this, we gathered data related to hosts and infected small ruminant flocks. Furthermore, we collected and processed freely available, medium-resolution satellite imagery to derive vegetative and biophysical spectral indices capable of representing the primary habitat features. By employing a pixel-based species distribution model, we integrated the compiled geographical distribution data and spectral data with five supervised classification algorithms (random forest, classification tree analysis, artificial neural network, generalised linear model, and generalised additive model). The consensus map allowed accurate predictions of spatialised regions exhibiting spectral characteristics similar to where CS and its hosts were initially identified. By overlapping suitable territories for disease and host occurrence, we created a spatially explicit tool that assesses the risk of prion spill-over from domestic small ruminants to wild cervids. The described methodology is highly replicable and freely accessible, thus emphasising its practical utility. This study underscores the substantial contribution of model-based spatial analysis to disease monitoring and lays the groundwork for defining populations at risk and implementing targeted control and prevention strategies, thus safeguarding both animal and public health.

Over the last decades roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) populations have increased in number and distribution throughout Europe. Such increases have profound impacts on ecosystems, both positive and negative. Therefore monitoring roe deer populations is essential for the appropriate management of this species, in order to achieve a balance between conservation and mitigation of the negative impacts. Despite being required for an effective management plan, the study of roe deer ecology in Portugal is at an early stage, and hence there is still a complete lack of knowledge of roe deer density within its known range. Distance sampling of pellet groups coupled with production and decay rates for pellet groups provided density estimates for roe deer in northeastern Portugal (Lombada National Hunting Area - LNHA, Serra de Montesinho - SM and Serra da Nogueira - SN; LNHA and SM located in Montesinho Natural Park). The estimated roe deer density using a stratified detection function was 1.23/100 ha for LNHA, 4.87/100 ha for SM and 4.25/100 ha in SN, with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of 0.68 to 2.21, 3.08 to 7.71 and 2.25 to 8.03, respectively. For the entire area, the estimated density was about 3.51/100 ha (95% CI - 2.26-5.45). This method can provide estimates of roe deer density, which will ultimately support management decisions. However, effective monitoring should be based on long-term studies that are able to detect population fluctuations. This study represents the initial phase of roe deer monitoring at the edge of its European range and intends to fill the gap in this species ecology, as the gathering of similar data over a number of years will provide the basis for stronger inferences. Monitoring should be continued, although the study area should be increased to evaluate the accuracy of estimates and assess the impact of management actions.

Background Bacterial diarrhea is one of the most common causes for medical consultations, mortality and morbidity in the world. Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) and non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) are major intestinal pathogens in developing countries, and the indiscriminate use of antibiotics has greatly contributed to resistant strains. Hence, the aim of the present study is to identify the antimicrobial resistance patterns and the molecular characteristics of DEC and NTS in southwest, China. Methods 1121 diarrheal patients and 319 non-diarrheal subjects across all age groups were recruited from four sentinel hospitals from June 2014 to July 2015 in Kunming City, Yunnan Province. Each stool specimen was collected to detect DEC and NTS with standard microbiological and molecular methods. Antimicrobial resistance testing was performed with the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method, and the standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing complied with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Molecular characterization of strains was carried out using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). A structured questionnaire was used to record basic epidemiological data (e.g. sex, age, residence, season, etc.). Data were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. Results DEC was detected in 127 (11.33%) diarrhea cases and 9 (2.82%) non-diarrheal cases ( χ 2  = 20.69, P  < 0.001, OR  = 4.36, 95% CI : 2.19–8.65), and the prevalence of NTS isolated from diarrhea cases was higher than that of non-diarrheal cases across all age groups ( n  = 42, 3.75%, n  = 1, 0.31%, χ 2  = 10.10, P  = 0.002, OR  = 12.38, 95% CI : 1.70–90.29). The rates of resistance to ten antibiotics of DEC and NTS showed significant differences ( χ 2  = 386.77, P  < 0.001; χ 2  = 191.16, P  < 0.001). The rates of resistance to Amoxicillin and Clavulafiate (AMC), Cephalothin (CEP), Gentamicin (GEN) and Sulfamethoxazole-Trimethoprim (SXT) of DEC isolated from diarrhea cases were higher than those of NTS isolated from diarrhea patients (37.01% vs 14.29%, χ 2  = 7.57, P  = 0.006; 29.92% vs 11.90%, χ 2  = 5.40, P  = 0.02; 37.01% vs 11.90%, χ 2  = 5.80, P  = 0.016; 62.20% vs 26.19%, χ 2  = 16.44, P  < 0.001; respectively). Ciprofloxacin (CIP) was the most sensitive antibiotic for DEC and NTS strains isolated from diarrhea cases. Resistance rates of DEC isolates from cases and controls to more than three kinds antimicrobials (multidrug resistance, MDR) showed no significant differences (81.10% vs 88.89%, P  = 0.33). Pulsotype patterns of DEC strains were highly diverse; however, the pulsotype pattern of NTS strains was closely related to the serotype. The pattern of S. enteritidis was highly similar, but the S. enterica Typhimurium strain was discrete. Conclusions Antibiotic resistance of Enterobacteriaceae is of great concern. The societal effects of antibiotic use justify strict monitoring to combat increases in antimicrobial resistance. Molecular epidemiology and systematic epidemiological investigation can provide accurate evidence for tracking the infection source.