Impact of wildlife culling on the physiological stress and space use of a social herbivore

Wildlife culling is a widely used but often contentious management tool for controlling overabundant species. While previous research suggests that behavioural responses of eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) to culling are relatively minor, physiological measures can offer additional insight into how animals perceive such events. In this study, we assessed changes in faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations to evaluate the physiological response of kangaroos to a conservation cull in the Australian Capital Territory. We collected faecal samples immediately before (n = 255) and after (n = 171) the cull and analysed FGM levels alongside patterns of space use inferred from GPS-located faeces. Post-cull FGM concentrations were 29% lower than pre-cull levels, suggesting a subdued physiological response inconsistent with what might be expected following a major predation-like event. Additionally, kangaroos were found to graze further from refuge sites after the cull, fur..., , # Impact of wildlife culling on the physiological stress and space use of a social herbivore

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.1g1jwsv9t](10.5061/dryad.1g1jwsv9t)

## Description of the data and file structure

This is data used in the analyses for the paper 'Impact of wildlife culling on the physiological stress and space use of a social herbivore'. Data was collected in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), between May and August 2023.

### Files and variables

### File: Campbell_etal_data_faeces.xlsx

### Sheet 1: FGM

* Site: the location the faeces was collected.
* Cull_control: whether the site was a treatment (cull) or control sites.
* Pre_post: whether the faecal sample was collected before the cull (pre) or after the cull (post).
* Cull_size: the percentage of the original population culled.
* Habitat: whether the site was completely surrounded by trees (closed) or an open area with fewer trees (open).
* Ave_mob: average mob size in the session the faeces were collected in.
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