Publication Date

Fall 2025

Abstract

Provisioning, the act of providing food, water, or shelter to wild animals, can lead to habituation, resulting in changes in behavior, abundance, and distribution (Newsome & Rodger, 2008). In North Queensland, a colony of Mareeba rock-wallaby (Petrogale mareeba) at Granite Gorge has been provisioned for over 45 years, mainly through direct hand-feeding, while a group of allied rock-wallaby (Petrogale assimilis) in Magnetic Island has experienced shorter and less consistent provisioning. This study investigated whether long-term provisioning causes more severe behavioral changes, higher aggression, and larger aggregation sizes. Approximately one week was spent observing each population. Scan sampling was utilized to determine daily population fluctuations, and focal behavior samples were used to investigate the occurrence of aggressive, submissive, feeding, grooming, and sexual behaviors performed in each population. Findings were compared to a previous study to assess how behavior at these sites has shifted over the past two decades. Granite Gorge rock-wallabies exhibited high comfort around humans, while the colony at Magnetic Island remained hidden for long periods and was wary of visitors. Longer-established provisioning at Granite Gorge resulted in lower submission and higher aggression, natural foraging, and grooming rates. Magnetic Island wallabies displayed higher submission, lower aggression, and less evidence of habituation. Overall, long-term, predictable provisioning at Granite Gorge has intensified aggregation, competition, and habituation, while shorter and less direct provisioning at Magnetic Island has resulted in comparatively smaller behavioral changes. These findings highlight the effect of long-term unnatural feedings and illuminate the need for feeding management that prioritizes the ecological health of wild animals.

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Life Sciences

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