Built it, but did they come? Monitoring winter feeding station use by endangered long‐tailed gorals

Abstract Supplementary winter feeding is a common but poorly evaluated conservation intervention for endangered ungulates. We evaluated the behavioral responses of the endangered long‐tailed goral ( Naemorhedus caudatus ) to supplementary feeding stations provisioned with dried mulberry ( Morus alba ) leaves in the Uljin‐Samcheok region of South Korea during the 2024–2025 winter. Using a camera‐trap network, we recorded 2,182 goral detections, 80.7% of which involved feeding. Feeding activity exhibited a pronounced nocturnal shift, likely an adaptive strategy to mitigate winter energy deficits. Bayesian regression models indicated that visitation was driven primarily by mulberry provision, snow cover, and fawn presence, suggesting energetic constraints on reproductive cohorts. Notably, while non‐target species occasionally visited the stations, none consumed the provisioned feed. Although gorals typically foraged alone or in pairs (maximum simultaneous count: 1–2), agonistic interactions sharply intensified during feed depletion. To mitigate this conflict, future trials should evaluate spatially dispersed networks and continuous provisioning. Ultimately, while our single‐season data confirm that supplementary forage successfully reaches vulnerable individuals, multi‐year monitoring is necessary to determine if this intervention improves population‐level survival.