Citizen Science: public call to help scientists monitor swans and kangaroos

Zoologists at the University of Melbourne have called on the public to help track black swan and eastern grey kangaroo populations after the release of a new study that demonstrates the value of public input. Associate Professor Raoul Mulder from the Department of Zoology at the University says their study shows that sightings of tagged swans and kangaroos contributed by members of the public have made a substantial contribution to advancing our understanding of how these species cope with adverse conditions. 'By submitting sighting reports of tagged animals, the public are helping us to reveal surprising aspects of the behaviour of these iconic species,' he says. Associate Professor Mulder says the aim of the research is to collect long-term data on individual movement patterns and survival rates, which will help in species conservation efforts. 'We are particularly interested in how environmental stresses such as the drought affect the swans' movement - the more we know about their behaviour, the better we can protect them in poor environmental conditions,? he says. ?Monitoring large populations of animals is not a simple task, and regular sightings of individual animals are essential to monitoring success. The swan and kangaroo populations are large and mobile and cover areas too big for a single research team to cover, and this is where the public can help.' Following the tagging of populations of more than 200 swans at Albert Park and 160 kangaroos at Anglesea with conspicuous identification tags that are highly visible to the public, the team set out to evaluate how often members of the public reported sightings in the absence of a formal appeal to the public for assistance.