The use of space by translocated edible dormice,Glis glis (L), at the site of their original capture andThe site of their release: radio-tracking method applied in a reintroduction experiment

A study was made of the use of space by two groups (each of 6 animals) of adult edible dormice (G. glis) at the sites of their origin and where they were released. The reintroduction took place in Szczeciński Landscape Park (north-western Poland; 53 degrees 17'N, 14 degrees 46'E). The source sites for the animals were in the Sierakowski Landscape Park (western Poland; 52 degrees 38'N, 16 degrees 07'E) and a nature reserve "Buczyna Szprotawska" in south-western Poland (51 degrees 30'N, 15 degrees 40'E). All three sites had dense and extensive mixed forests. At release and source sites, dormice were radio-tracked during 10 successive nights between 20.00 and 05.00 at 1-hour intervals. At the source sites, the mean distance travelled per night and mean home range (95% Minimum Convex Polygon) (MCP) tended to be larger in males than in females but not significantly. At the release sites, the mean distance travelled per night and mean home range were significantly larger in females than in males. The mean distance travelled per night by males and their mean home range size did not differ significantly between source and release sites (although distances were larger at the source sites (source: 458 m; release: 265 m) and home ranges larger at the release sites (source: 1.3 ha; release: 1.8 ha). In contrast, the mean female distance travelled per night (source: 214 m; release: 404 m) and mean home range (source: 0.3 ha; release: 3.5 ha) were significantly larger at the release site than at the source sites.