File | Action |
---|---|
2002.13--85-93.pdf | Download |
- Version
- Download 9
- File Size 445.08 KB
- Create Date 1 January 2002
- Download
We investigated bear-bear, wolf-wolf, and bear-wolf interactions in a 2-ha enclosure, which was occupied by 13 brown bears (Ursus arctos) and a wolf (Canis lupus) pack. The hierarchy of bears and wolves was determined by behavioral observation and rank order analysis. All behavioral interactions between bears and wolves were systematically videotaped for 1 month and analyzed. Bears and wolves had a hierarchical organization similar to that found in nature, although we found a relatively low position in the rank order of blind bears. Social interactions between wolves appeared to be very serious at times. Bear-wolf interactions were mostly playful, but were sometimes agonistic. Young bears were more often victims of wolf harassment than other bears and were sometimes seriously bitten. However, no deaths were recorded, contrary to descriptions from natural bear-wolf interactions. We concluded that bears and wolves could be kept safely together in a single enclosure with apparently few consequences. Interactions we observed were comparable to interactions between bears and wolves under natural conditions and concerned mainly competition over food or a den (wolf or bear). The size of the food (large prey carcasses in the wild vs. chicken in the enclosure) probably plays a role in the severity and the eventual solution of the bear-wolf conflict.