Out-foxing the red fox: How best to protect the nests of the Endangered loggerhead marine turtle Caretta caretta from mammalian predation?

Published source details Kurz D.J., Straley K.M. & Degregorio B.A. (2012) Out-foxing the red fox: How best to protect the nests of the Endangered loggerhead marine turtle Caretta caretta from mammalian predation?. Oryx, 46, 223-228.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Protect nests and nesting sites from predation using artificial nest covers: Sea turtles Action Link

Protect nests and nesting sites from predation using artificial nest covers: Sea turtles

A replicated, controlled study in 2010 on a sandy beach in North Carolina, USA (Kurz et al. 2012) found that both metal cages and plastic screens reduced predation of artificial sea turtle nests compared to nests with no protection. Artificial nests protected with metal cages and plastic mesh were predated less by red foxes Vulpes vulpes (metal cage: 0 of 12 predated; plastic mesh: 0 of 12 predated) than nests with no protection (4 of 12 predated). In an additional experiment (high predator motivation), a similar number of nests protected by plastic mesh (2 of 8) were predated compared to nests protected with metal cages (0 of 8). Artificial nests consisting of five chicken eggs and scented with dilute loggerhead egg yolk mixture were buried 29 cm deep. Twelve were protected with a metal cage (122 x 61 x 61 cm, buried 30 cm deep), 12 with a plastic mesh (2.4 m² centred on nest), and 12 were unprotected. In an additional experiment (high predator motivation), nests consisted of bacon and rotten chicken eggs or chicken breast and bacon scraps, and eight pairs of nests were protected with a metal cage (8 nests) or plastic mesh (8 nests). Nests were checked daily for signs of predation.

(Summarised by: Maggie Watson, William Morgan)