Activity and Diet of an Urban Population of Big Cypress Fox Squirrels: A Reply
Jodice PG and Humphrey SR. 1993. Activity and Diet of an Urban Population of Big Cypress Fox Squirrels: A Reply. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 57(4):930-933
Maehr (1993) is correct that Jodice and Humphrey (1992) did not conduct a comparative, quantitative study showing that urban landscapes are more valuable than native ones for the threatened Big Cypress fox squirrel (Sciurus niger avicennia). However, the evidence supporting our statement that "populations on golf courses appear much denser than in natural habitat" (p. 691) is substantial albeit mostly qualitative. Insistence on better data does not justify inaction when the best available data clearly indicate opportunities to realize wildlife benefits. Use of harvest data to infer population status by Maehr (1993) is alarming in view of the history of failure of this approach to natural-resource management. We proposed the comparative study Maehr thinks we should have done, but the funding available was insufficient. We reiterate that the golf-course squirrels present an opportunity for conserving wildlife, promoting favorable land use, and engaging a pro-wildlife constituency, and we argue for seizing conservation opportunities wherever they occur, whether in urban or native context.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Jodice, Patrick; Humphrey, Stephen
- Units
- BICY
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Big Cypress fox squirrel (Sciurus niger avicennia), Population Dynamics, Research Methods