Lara Naves-Alegre, Miguel Hernández University of Elche / University of Granada

In long-lived species with extended maternal care, early-life experiences can have lasting effects on spatial behaviour and risk perception, with direct implications for conservation in human-dominated landscapes. Rehabilitation and reintroduction are increasingly used for large carnivores, yet how variation in rehabilitation conditions shapes post-release behaviour remains poorly understood. We assessed how differences in rehabilitation characteristics influenced habitat selection in 30 orphaned brown bear (Ursus arctos) cubs rehabilitated and released across six European countries between 2007 and 2022. Using telemetry data, we examined how individual traits, behavioural drivers, and rehabilitation variables (age at release, duration of rehabilitation, and social versus solitary rearing) interacted with landscape features to shape post-release habitat selection. Habitat selection varied with individual traits: females tended to select areas closer to forests and human settlements, while bears were increasingly found nearer roads and farther from settlements as they aged. Rehabilitation characteristics were strongly associated with post-release habitat use. Bears released at younger ages and those spending less time in rehabilitation showed stronger selection for forested areas and greater avoidance of roads, indicating reduced use of anthropogenic infrastructure. Our results demonstrate that rehabilitation conditions are not behaviourally neutral and that variability in rehabilitation practices can shape how young bears navigate human-modified landscapes after release. Assessing rehabilitation success solely through survival or conflict records may therefore overlook meaningful behavioural differences that influence exposure to anthropogenic risk. Incorporating behavioural and spatial indicators into rehabilitation assessments may improve reintroduction outcomes and long-term coexistence between large carnivores and humans.