Open AccessRelocation of habituated black bears in the Klamath Mountains of California: an adaptive management case study
Author(s) -
Robert Schaefer,
Dennis Moyles,
Steve McDonald,
Monty Cervelli,
D Shane Beck
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
california fish and wildlife journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2689-4203
pISSN - 2689-419X
DOI - 10.51492/cfwj.hwisi.5
Subject(s) - ursus , relocation , geography , adaptive management , ecology , range (aeronautics) , demography , biology , sociology , population , materials science , computer science , composite material , programming language
Black bear (Ursus americanus) populations in California have increased in abundance and distribution despite rising trends in the urban encroachment of wildlands. As human-black bear conflicts increase, opportunities to study the relocation of black bears in an adaptive management setting are important for improving the management of this highprofile species. Habituated black bears, some tamed and made tractable through human-controlled food conditioning, were relocated to a remote region of the Klamath Mountains to analyze home range use, survival, return rates, and mortality. Relocated black bears with known outcomes demonstrated an 80% return rate, with 55% not surviving beyond five months. Female bears established home ranges significantly larger than males, and may suggest an enhanced maternal instinct in search of similar nutritional conditions prior to relocation. This study showed that the relocation of food-conditioned black bears resulted in high return rates, poor survival, and risk to public safety.