Behaviour and Captive Welfare of the Livingstone’s Fruitbat

A captive breeding programme was set up in 1992 for the Livingstone’s fruitbat; there is currently a stable population of around 70 individuals in captivity across three institutions worldwide, with almost 60 of these residing at Durrell Wildlife Park, where the programme originated. As this species is highly threatened by changes in land use and vulnerability to tropical cyclones in its natural habitat, the captive population could be an extremely important resource for future conservation efforts such as reintroductions. However, relatively little is known regarding social dynamics in this Critically Endangered species. A better understanding of social dynamics in captive populations, as well as how this links to enclosure use and individual welfare, is essential to ensure breeding success rates are maximised.

This project will involve a combination of behavioural observations, automated data collection, social network analysis and hormone analysis to explore links between social structure and stability, welfare and reproductive success. Data collection will focus on the captive population, with the potential to carry out field work in the Comoro islands. The successful student should have experience of both behavioural observations and laboratory work; experience in endocrinology and/or social network analysis would be desirable.

Start dates are possible in either October 2018 or January 2019.

Supervisor profiles:
- Dr Christina Stanley: www.chester.ac.uk/departments/biological-sciences/staff/c-stanley
- Prof Tessa Smith: www.chester.ac.uk/departments/biological-sciences/staff/dr-tessa-smith
- Dr Lottie Hosie: www.chester.ac.uk/departments/biological-sciences/staff/dr-lottie-hosie