Uncontrolled Experiments
Beyond intentional displacements, other management actions can serve as uncontrolled experiments for learning. For example, aversive conditioning is routinely used in wildlife conflict management and could provide guidance on the mode of learning of animals (Bejderet al. 2009) and may provide data on the efficacy of different deterrence systems that vary in intensity and/or frequency. For example, Ronconi & Cassady St. Clair (2006) showed that presence-activated deterrent systems were more useful than were randomly activated systems for limiting the landing of waterfowl on tailing ponds from oil extraction. Likewise, fences involving bee hives were more likely to turn away elephants than were bush fences (King et al. 2011) and problem elk repeatedly chased by humans and dogs stayed further from town (Klopperset al. 2005).
Rapid changes in habitat can also serve as uncontrolled experiments. For example, because ungulates will select areas recently affected by fires (Allredet al. 2011), monitoring the movement of animals in fire-prone systems could help understand how these animals learn about and navigate to novel habitats. Studying movement in the vicinity of new obstacles (e.g., pipelines and roads) and passageways (e.g., road-crossing structures) could help to understand how animals change their spatial patterns as they learn to circumvent these barriers and make use of new structures (McDonald & Cassady St Clair 2004, Ford and Clevenger 2018).