Spondyloarthropathy in Cervical Vertebrae of Late Prehistoric Black Bear from Northwestern Oregon, USA
Spondyloarthropathy has been reported among modern individuals of several species of ursid. Prehistoric cervical vertebra of black bear (Ursus americanus) recovered from an archaeological site in northwestern Oregon are fused and distorted, indicating spondyloarthropathy in this species has some time depth. Inventory of this disease among paleozoological remains may reveal unknown details of disease history.
Predation by a Golden Eagle on a Brown Bear Cub
During spring 2004 an adult female brown bear (Ursus arctos) and her 3 cubs-of-the-year were observed outside their den on a south-facing low-alpine slope in central Norway. They remained near the den for 8-10 days and were, except for one day, observed daily by Totsås and other wardens of the Norwegian Nature Inspectorate. On 25 […]
Are There Andean Bears in Panamá?
We present the results of a 2007 survey for Andean bears (Tremarctos ornatus) at Serranía de Pirre, Panamá. We surveyed game trails using methodology developed by the Andean Bear Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society. We searched a total of 14 km along 3 trails and found 4 trees with claw marks resembling Andean bear […]
Characteristics of Late Holocene American Black Bears in Missouri: Evidence from Two Natural Traps
Remains of 22 American black bears (Ursus americanus) were excavated from 2 natural trap caves in Missouri during the late 1950s. Age, sex, and size characteristics based on analysis of ursid teeth from the caves corroborates wildlife studies that suggest that subadult to young-adult male bears are relatively vulnerable to accidental deaths in their search […]
Do Revised Giant Panda Population Estimates Aid in Their Conservation?
The small number of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in the world makes this the only species of bear classified as globally endangered on the IUCN red list. The latest rangewide population estimate was derived from scats (feces) found along transects throughout the geographic range of the species. Scats were differentiated into ∼1,600 individuals based on […]
Individual Identification of Asiatic Black Bears Using Extracted DNA from Damaged Crops
To reduce crop damage by Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus), we developed a method to identify individual bears that damaged corn crops based on microsatellite analysis using bear DNA obtained from damaged corn. During summer 2004 in Iwate prefecture, Japan, 99 corn-bite samples were collected, of which 30 (30%) yielded sufficient DNA for 6 complete […]
A Preliminary Evaluation of Activity-Sensing GPS Collars for Estimating Daily Activity Patterns of Japanese Black Bears
The Japanese black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) is a forest-dwelling species and can be very difficult to observe directly in most of its habitats. Therefore, as a research tool to evaluate activity patterns and time budgets, we fitted GPS radiocollars with activity sensors on 4 Japanese black bears, 2 males and 2 females, during 2003-06 […]
Human-Brown Bear Conflicts in Artvin, Northeastern Turkey: Encounters, Damage, and Attitudes
The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the largest carnivore in Turkey and has been legally protected since 2003. However, increasing levels of conflict between brown bears and humans have been reported for several regions, especially for Artvin in northeastern Turkey. We documented the conflict in an attempt to understand human attitudes and responses and evaluate […]
The Apennine Brown Bear: A Critical Review of Its Status and Conservation Problems
The small and isolated population of brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus) in the Central Apennines, Italy, has been protected since the establishment of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise in 1923, but little active management has been implemented during the past decades to ensure effective conservation of this population. Being almost exclusively distributed […]
Bear Gallbladder Trade Issues and a Framework for Bear Management in Japan
International trade in bears and their parts is regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) because of the negative effect of gallbladder trade on bear populations. Although a significant number of bear gallbladders seems to come from the roughly 2,000 individuals killed annually as game and […]
