Changing the narrative on human–bear conflicts by standardizing bear management terms
Human–wildlife interactions and conflicts are increasing in many parts of the world. The ability of North American wildlife agencies to accurately record information about human–wildlife conflict and then share and compare those data is important for agency conservation efforts, inter-agency communications, and public messaging. Agency bear managers and researchers record human–bear conflict data and depend […]
Historical range of brown bears
Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are widely distributed in North America, Europe, and Asia; however, their range has decreased. They are categorized as being a species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, but some fragmented, small populations are close to extirpation. Importantly, the global historical range of brown […]
Ursus: A history of the journal
The International Association for Bear Research and Management has a publishing history dating back to 1968 with proceedings associated with their conferences. To improve the consistency and timeliness of publications, the peer-reviewed journal Ursus was established in the late 1990s and has become an important source for papers on all eight ursid species. This paper […]
Risk of bear-inflicted human injury in Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, USA, is a popular tourist destination with sympatric populations of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and American black bears (U. americanus). It receives >4 million recreational visits annually, and bear–human interactions are common. Many visitors are concerned about the risks of recreating in bear habitats, and wildlife managers are interested in knowing the […]
Harvest-based demographic estimation of a brown bear population on the Oshima Peninsula, Hokkaido
We constructed a population dynamic model using demographic parameters with uncertainties by using long-term harvest data and estimated population dynamics of brown bears (Ursus arctos) on the Oshima Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan, from 1968 to 2021 with population trend indicators obtained by forest sign survey and an upper population limit calculated by extrapolating an estimated density […]
Documentation of an Asiatic black bear preying on a living sika deer caught in a leg-hold snare trap
Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) rarely prey on living adult deer. We report video documentation, obtained May 2024, of a bear subduing and killing a sika deer (Cervus nippon) that was captured in a leg-hold snare trap, then staying in the area for repeated feeding visits. Leg-hold snare traps for deer capture are widely used […]
Grizzly bear behavior in south-central Alaska: Use of a hidden Markov model to assess behavior
Attempts to understand wildlife population dynamics and implement management practices benefit from understanding animal behavior traits. In Alaska, USA, grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) behavior is important to understand because the species is an apex predator, exerts top-down population effects, and is a cornerstone species across complex landscapes. Our objectives were to examine how environmental and […]
Factors affecting body weight fluctuation in free-ranging Asian black bears
The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) shows seasonal changes in body weight, activity level, and range use. However, there is little information available on these factors in individuals in the wild. We documented the body weights of free-ranging Asian black bears from spring to autumn, 2017 to 2019, in the Nikko-Ashio Mountains, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, […]
Possible sexually selected infanticide by polar bears in western Hudson Bay
Infanticide occurs in a diversity of taxa and may provide benefits to the perpetrator through nutritional gain, reduced competition, or increased fitness from mating opportunities through sexually selected infanticide (SSI). Infanticide, however, is rarely observed. We documented a probable infanticide event by a 23-year-old adult male polar bear (Ursus maritimus) on a 3-month-old cub in […]
Denning ecology of an at-risk American black bear population in a unique habitat on the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada
The American black bear (Ursus americanus) population on the Bruce Peninsula in southern Ontario, Canada, is small (∼300 bears), genetically isolated from the closest bears in other parts of Ontario because of geography and urban development, and it is at risk because of habitat loss. The Bruce Peninsula is underlain by dolostone, and soils over […]