American Beaver: GPS and VHF tag data from resident and translocated beavers on the Price and San Rafael Rivers, Utah

Wildlife translocations can dramatically alter animal movement behavior. Thus, identifying common movement patterns post-translocation can aid in setting expectations and anticipating animal behavior in subsequent efforts. American and Eurasian beavers (Castor canadensis; C. fiber) are frequently translocated for reintroduction efforts, to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, and for use as an ecosystem restoration tool. However, little is known about movement behavior of translocated beavers post-release, especially in desert rivers where resources are patchy and dynamic. We identified space-use patterns to develop an expectation framework of beaver movement behavior for future beaver-assisted restoration efforts. We captured, tagged, translocated, and monitored 41 nuisance American beavers in desert river restoration sites on the Price and San Rafael Rivers, Utah, USA, and compared their space use to 16 resident beavers. We tracked beavers 2-7 times per week from May through October in 2...