Sloth bear denning behavior in eastern Karnataka, India
Eastern Karnataka, India, has abundant sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) habitat made up of rocky scrub jungle and an abundance of naturally occurring caves, which the bears use for resting (day) and natal or neonatal dens. We deployed cameras on active dens from 2014 to 2018 and collected sloth bear resting and maternal denning behavior. We […]
Denning black bear response to anthropogenic disturbance and implications for cub survival in Florida
Wildlife research and management can be disruptive to wildlife. By advancing our understanding of the impacts of these activities, we can reduce adverse effects, improve decision-making, and enhance the outcomes of research and management. During 2017–2019, we observed the responses of denning female American black bears (Ursus americanus) to 3 types of routine research and […]
Bonding behavior of sister brown bears with different-aged offspring
This paper documents and describes the behavior of 2 sibling female brown bears (Ursus arctos) and their cubs as they bonded at Brooks River in Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA. Between mid- August and October 2022 the adult female bears and their cubs behaved much like a single family. The same-aged mothers each had a […]
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 […]