lUU 



Mammals — Our Livim; Renmrces 



For further information: 



L. David Mech 



National Biological Service 



North Central Forest Experiment 



Station 



1992 Folwell Ave. 



St. Pai]l,MN 55108 



Future Outlook 



All wolf populations in the contiguous 48 

 states are increasing. Minnesota wolves occupy 

 all suitable areas there and even have been col- 

 onizing agricultural regions where the Eastern 

 Timber Wolf Recovery Team felt they should 

 not be (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1992). 

 Thus, in 1993. the Department of Agriculture's 

 Animal Damage Control Program destroyed a 

 record 139 wolves for livestock depredation 

 control (Paul 1994). As wolf populations con- 

 tinue to grow in other newly colonized areas, 

 there may be an increasing need for control of 

 those wolves preying on livestock (Fritts 1993). 

 Because the public has so strongly supported 

 wolf recovery and reintroduction. it may be dif- 

 ficult for many to understand the need for con- 

 trol. Thus, strong efforts at public education 

 will be required. 



References 



Boyd. D.K., PC, Paquet. S. Donelon. R.R. Ream. D.H. 

 Pletscher, and C.C. White. 1994. Dispersal characteristics 

 of a recolonizing wolf population in the Rocky Mountains. 

 In L.D. Carbyn. S.H. Fritts. and D.R. Seip. eds. Ecology 

 and conservation of wolves in a changing world. Canadian 

 Circumpolar Institute. Edmonton. Alberta. In press. 



Fritts. S.H. 199.^. The downside of wolf recovery. 

 International Wolf 3( 1 ): 24-26. 



Fritts. S.H., E.E. Bangs. J. A. Fontaine. W.G. Brewster, and 

 J.F. Gore. 1994. Restoring wolves to the northern Rocky 

 Mountains of the United States. In L.D. Carbyn. S.H. 

 Fritts. and D.R. Seip. eds. Ecology and conservation of 

 wolves in a changing worid. Canadian Circumpolar 

 Institute. Edmonton, Alberta. In press. 



Fuller, T.K.. WE. Berg. G.L. Radde. M.S. Lenarz. and G.B. 

 Joselyn. 1992. A history and current estimate of wolf dis- 

 tribution and numbers in Minnesota. Wildlife Society Bull. 

 20:42-5.'i. 



Hammill. J. 199.'(. Wolves in Michigan: a histoncal perspec- 

 tive. International Wolf 3:22-23. 



Johnson, M.R., D.K. Boyd, and D.H. Pletscher. 1994. 

 Serology of canine parvovirus and canine distemper m 

 relation to wolf tCanis lupus) pup mortalities. Journal of 

 Wildlife Diseases 30:270-273. 



Licht. D.S.. and S.H. Fntts. 1994. Gray wolf \Canis lupus) 

 occurrences m the Dakotas. American Midland Naturalist 

 132:74-81. 



Mech, L.D. 1974. Current techniques in the study of elusive 

 wilderness carnivores. Pages 315-322 in Proceedings of 

 the 11th Intemation,al Congress of Game Biologists. 

 National Swedish Environment Protection Board, 

 Stockholm, 



Mech. L,D,. and S.H. Fritts. 1987. Parvovirus and heartworm 

 found in Minnesota wolves. Endangered Species Tech. 

 Bull. 12(-S-6):5-6. 



Mech. L.D.. S.H. Fritts. G. Radde. and W.J. Paul. 1988. Wolf 

 distnbution in Minnesota relative to road densitv. Wildlife 

 Society Bull, 16:85-88. 



Mech. L.D,. and S,M. Goyal. 1993. Canine parvovirus effect 

 on wolf population change and pup survival. Journal of 

 Wildlife Diseases 29:330-"333. 



Mech. L.D.. and R.M, Nowak, 1981. Return of the gray wolf 

 to Wisconsin, Amencan Midland Naturalist 105:408-409. 



Nowak. R.M. 1994. Another look at wolf ta.xonomy. In L.D. 

 Carbyn. S.H. Fritts. and D.R. Seip, eds. Ecology and con- 

 servation of wolves in a changing world. Canadian 

 Circumpolar Institute, Edmonton, Alberta. In press. 



Paul. W.J. 1994. Wolf depredation on livestock in Minnesota: 

 annual update of statistics 1993. U.S. Department of 

 Agriculture. Animal Damage Control. Grand Rapids, MN. 

 10 pp. 



Peterson, R.O. 1994. Out of the doldrums for Isle Royale 

 wolves? International Wolf 4(2):19. 



Pletscher. D,H.. R.R. Ream. R. Demarchi. W.G. Brew,ster. and 

 E.E. Bangs. 1991. Managing wolf and ungulate popula- 

 tions in an international ecosystem. Transactions of the 

 North American Wildlife and Natural Resources 

 Conference 56:539-549, 



Ream. R.R.. M.W, Fairchild. D.K. Boyd, and A.J. Blakesley. 

 1989. First wolf den in western U.S. in recent history. 

 Northwestern Naturalist 70:39-40. 



Ream. R.R., and U.I. Mattson. 1982. Wolf status in the north- 

 em Rockies. Pages 362-381 in F.H. Harrington and PC. 

 Paquet, eds. Wolves of the wodd. Noyes Publishing. Park 

 Ridge. NJ. 



Thieking. A,. S,M, Goyal. R.F Berg, K.L. Loken, L.D. Mech, 

 and R.P, Thiel, 1992. Seroprevalence of Lyme disease in 

 Minnesota and Wisconsin wolves. Journal of Wildlife 

 Diseases 28:177-182, 



U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1982. Mexican wolf recovery 

 plan. USFWS. Albuquerque. NM. 103 pp. 



U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1987. Northern Rocky 

 Mountain wolf recovery plan. USFWS. Denver. CO. 119 



PP- 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1992. Recovery plan for the 



eastern timber wolf, USFWS. Twin Cities. MN, 73 pp, 

 Wydeven. A.P. R.N. Schultz. and R.P Thiel. 1994. Gray wolf 



monitoring in Wisconsin — 1979-1991. In L.D. Carbyn. 



S.H. Fritts, and D.R, Seip. eds. Ecology and conservation 



of wolves in a changing world. Canadian Circumpolar 



Institute, Edmonton, Alberta. In press. 



Black Bears in 



North 



America 



by 



Michael R. Vaughaii 



National Biological Service 



Michael R. Pelton 



University of Tennessee 



Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and 

 unrestricted harvest have significantly 

 changed the distribution and abundance of 

 black bears {Ursus americaniis) in North 

 America since colonial settlement. Although 

 bears have been more carefully managed in the 

 last 50 years and harvest levels are limited, 

 threats from habitat alteration and fragmenta- 

 tion still exist and are particularly acute in the 

 southeastern United States. In addition, the 

 increased efficiency in hunting techniques and 

 the illegal trade in bear parts, especially gall 

 bladders, have raised concerns about the effect 



of poaching on some bear populations. Because 

 bears have low reproductive rates, their popula- 

 tions recover more slowly from losses than do 

 those of most other North American mammals. 

 Black bear populations are difficult to inven- 

 tory and monitor because the animals occur in 

 relatively low densities and are secretive by 

 nature. Black bears are an important game 

 species in many states and Canada and are an 

 important component of their ecosystems. It is 

 important that they be continuously and careful- 

 ly monitored to ensure their continued exis- 

 tence. 



