Data from: Effectiveness of signs of activity as relative abundance indices for wild boar

Population growth in wild boars and feral pigs (Sus scrofa) has negative
environmental and economic implications worldwide. Accordingly, it is
necessary to monitor population trends for appropriate management. Despite
the potential for bias, relative abundance indices based on signs of
activity have the potential to be practical, low-cost monitoring tools for
data collection at a local scale and over large areas. However, few
studies have examined the effectiveness of specific signs as measures of
relative wild boar abundance in comparison with reliable density
estimates. In this study, we examined whether three activity signs
(digging marks, rubbing marks, and fecal pellet groups) could be used as
relative abundance indices for wild boar. In particular, we conducted
transect surveys for signs of activity as well as camera trap surveys from
September 2017 to January 2018 at six sites in Hyogo Prefecture and eight
sites in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. We modeled the relations between the
number of activity signs and wild boar densities or abundances estimated
from camera trap data in a hierarchical framework. Fecal pellet counts are
a well-established method for estimating the abundance of herbivores,
including wild boar; however, we found few fecal pellet groups in our
study area, and the counts were not related to wild boar densities.
Instead, we found that digging marks were strongly associated with
estimates of wild boar density. Although fluctuations in the number of
digging marks may be affected by factors other than boar density,
including environmental conditions and seasonality, our results suggest
that digging marks are an effective relative abundance index for
evaluations of the spatial patterns of wild boar in Japan.