We are pleased to share these recent URSUS articles with you.
Please remember, articles that are not open access, can only be accessed though BioOne by signing in to your IBA membership account unless your agency or institution subscribes to BioOne.
Log in to your IBA membership account. Once logged in, select “Ursus Resources” on the left side menu, then select “Access Ursus articles through BioOne”.
Changing the narrative on human–bear conflicts by standardizing bear management terms
Carl Lackey, Dave Telesco, Kim Annis, Dave Battle, Hilary Cooley, Paul Frame, Lindsey Mangipane, Colleen Olfenbuttel,Mark Vieira, Tammy Waldrop
Ursus 2025 (36e4), 1-10, (25 April 2025) https://doi.org/10.2192/URSUS-D-24-00008R1
KEYWORDS: aversive conditioning, food-conditioned bear, habituated bear, hazing, human–bear conflict, human–bear interaction, nuisance bear, problem bear, relocation, translocation, Ursus americanus, Ursus arctos, Ursus maritimus
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 upon that information for making management decisions, determining whether those decisions were effective, and for developing public education messaging. To successfully manage human–bear conflict, it is essential that inter-agency communication, recording of data, and public messaging be consistent. Yet, defining human–bear conflicts in a consistent manner, even within jurisdictions, can be difficult and the application of common bear management terms is often inconsistent, and therefore may be unreliable. Even when these terms are clearly defined, there is often no uniformity in application, nor is there a defined entity to collect, store, and disseminate the information. Additionally, some terms commonly used in agency messaging and often repeated by the public are subjective and can have negative connotations for bears. The International Association for Bear Research and Management’s (IBA) Management Committee (MC), with members representing 9 jurisdictions and all 3 bear species in North America, reviewed literature that list terms and definitions used in bear management and bear research with the following goals: (1) identifying terms and definitions that were clear, concise, and used consistently among jurisdictions; (2) defining or modifying those terms and definitions that are commonly used, yet are used inconsistently, incorrectly, or interchangeably; and (3) identifying terms that should be removed from written and verbal agency messaging that lead to mischaracterization of bears. Here we present 12 terms and definitions that will help facilitate clear and consistent inter- and intra-agency communications and allow jurisdictions to better compare information across databases. We also identify 5 terms that should be removed from professional wildlife management vernacular and publications. Finally, we propose that the IBA adopt these terms and definitions for use within their publications and request the use of these terms and definitions by other governing and publication entities.
Bonding behavior of sister brown bears with different-aged offspring
Michael Fitz
Ursus 2025 (36e5), 1-8, (7 May 2025) https://doi.org/10.2192/URSUS-D-24-00007R1
KEYWORDS: Alaska, animal behavior, bonding, brown bears, salmon, sociability, social behavior, Ursus arctos
Open Access Article
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 single cub. One cub was a first-year cub and the other was a yearling (second-year) cub. The mothers and their cubs frequently traveled, foraged, and played as a single group.