Woodland caribou conservation in the Little Smoky: wolf management and the role of bears

• Author / Creator

  Robichaud, Christine B

• Woodland caribou population declines in west-central Alberta precipitated a wolfcontrol. This program to protect caribou could be compromised if (1) there are strong public pressures against helicopter gunning and strychnine poisoning of wolves and/or (2) other predators compensate to kill caribou. Because bears can be important ungulate predators, I used stable isotope techniques to reconstruct
  black and grizzly bear diets including contributions of caribou, caribou calves, ants, ungulates (moose, deer and elk), and 3 plant groups. Bears assimilated 2-58% terrestrial protein indicating large variation among individuals. As an alternative to current wolf-control practices, I reviewed spatial and temporal patterns of harvests (1985-2006) on registered traplines. Wolf trapping has increased during the past 2 decades, but on average trappers harvested only 10% of the provincial wolf population, well below culls required to control the
  population. Under the registered trapline system it is unlikely that trapping could control wolf abundance.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Trapping
  • Bear
  • Stable isotopes
  • Diet
  • Wolf management
  • Conservation
  • Woodland caribou
  • Species at risk

• Graduation date

  Fall 2009

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Masters of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3NW47

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.