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International Bear News Tri-Annual Newsletter of the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) and the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group Fall 2018 Vol. 27 no. 3 Sloth bear feeding on a honeycomb in Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, India. Read about it on page 59. IBA website: www.bearbiology.org Table of Contents INTERNATIONAL BEAR NEWS 3 International Bear News, ISSN #1064-1564 IBA PRESIDENT/IUCN BSG CO-CHAIRS 4 President’s Column 6 Ancestry of the Bear Specialist Group: the People and Ideas at the Inception CONFERENCE REPORTS BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH 9 26th International Conference on Bear 49 What is it About the Terai of Nepal that Research & Management Favors Sloth Bears over Asiatic Black Bears? 52 Characterizing Grizzly Bear Habitat using Vegetation Structure in Alberta, Canada IBA MEmbER NEWS 54 Identifying Seasonal Corridors for Brown 25 Start of the 30+ Club in Service to Bears Bears: an Integrated Modeling Approach 57 Does Rebecca, a Seasoned Andean Bear IBA GRANTS PROGRAM NEWS Mother, Show Seasonal Birthing Patterns? 26 Crowdfunding Bear Stories – the Art of 59 Observations of a Sloth Bear Feeding on Asking Strangers for Help a Honeycomb in a Tree in Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, India CONSERVATION 27 Investigating a Population of Brown bear MANAGER’S CORNER (Ursus arctos) in K2 Valley Karakoram Range 61 SEAFWA BearWise Program Launches of Northern Pakistan Website: Biologists and Managers 30 Rehabilitation of the Andean Bear in Collaborate on Landmark Regional Bear Venezuela and the Strategic Alliances with Education Program Rural Communities in the Release Process 33 Sun Bear Conservation Action Plan WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT Implementation Update 62 24th Eastern Black Bear Workshop, April 22 35 If You Build It They Will Come: Black Bear – 25, 2019. Potosi, Missouri Dens on Vancouver Island STUDENT FORUM ILLEGAL TRADE 62 Truman Listserv and Facebook Page 36 Towards Establishing Efficient Protection Against Poaching for Sun Bears PUBLICATIONS 63 Recent Bear Literature HUMAN-BEAR CONFLICTS 39 Brown Bear Behavior in the Human- Modified Landscapes of Cantabrian IBA OffICERS & COUNCIL Mountains (NW Spain) 70 Executive Council Members and Ex-Officio 42 Communication is Key for Human–bear Members Coexistence: the Experience of Trentino (Italian Alps) BSG EXPERT TEAM CHAIRS 44 Use of Geospatial Techniques to Target 71 Bear Specialist Group Team Chairs Water Sources for Sloth Bears, Aimed at Alleviating Conflicts with People 47 New Project: The Ecology of Brown Bear Damage at Large Scales 2 International Bear News Fall 2018, vol. 27 no. 3 Table of Contents International Bear News, ISSN #1064-1564 Tri-Annual newsletter of the International Association for Bear Research and Management Editors: Mark Edwards (Managing Editor) Amy Macleod (Layout & Design) Jim Tomlin (Proofing) Jennapher L Teunissen van Manen (Distribution) 907 Jessie Way Bozeman MT 59715 Email: [email protected] Website: www.bearbiology.org Back issues are available at www.bearbiology.org Editorial Policy International Bear News welcomes articles about biology, conservation, and management of the world’s eight bear species. Submissions of about 750 words are preferred, and photos, drawings, and charts are appreciated. Submissions to regional correspondents by email are preferred; otherwise, mail or fax to the address above. IBA reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions. Correspondents: Western US and Canada: Carrie Lowe, Email: [email protected] Eastern US and Canada: Jared Laufenberg, Email: [email protected] Central and South America: Marco Enciso, Email:[email protected] Europe: Stefanie Franke, Email: [email protected] Central Asia: Tatjana Rosen, Email:[email protected] Zoo and Captive Bear Organizations: Jordan Schaul, Email:[email protected] Bear Specialist Group: Dave Garshelis, Email:[email protected] Manager’s Corner: Rich Beausoleil, Email: [email protected] All other submission and/or inquiries: Mark Edwards, Email: [email protected] Consult website for submission guidelines. Deadline for the Spring 2019 issue is 26 February 2019. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue. Artwork is copyrighted – Do not reproduce without permission. For Membership Information and Publication Ordering Go to www.bearbiology.com to order or renew memberships, make donations, and/or update member information. The use of the IBA logo at the end of The use of the BSG logo at the end of The use of the IBA-BCF logo at the an article indicates articles submit- an article indicates articles submitted beginning of an article signifies ted via the IBA regional correspon- via the Bear Specialist Group. work that was supported, at least in dents and the IBN editorial staff. part, by the Bear Conservation Fund through an IBA grant. International Bear News Fall 2018, vol. 27 no. 3 3 IBA President President’s Column Andreas Zedrosser Institute for Natural Sciences and Environmental Health University College of Southeast Norway Pb. 235, N-3603 Kongsberg, Norway Email: [email protected] IBA 2.0 – prepping for the future IBA has embarked on a process to play a bigger role in the conservation and management of bears on the global scale. As part of this process, a major goal is to be able to provide more training and funding opportunities for our members to en- hance science-based bear management and conservation. But how can IBA become more efficient and effective in reaching our goal, the science-based management and conservation of all bear species across the world, as well as provide improved services to our membership? IBA Council has worked with the management consultant company Oliver Wyman to prepare a road map to IBA on how to become a bigger player and to provide more training and funding. IBA Council, as well as additionally invited IBA members, held in conjunction with the Ljubljana conference a one-day workshop on the future development of IBA based on the suggestions by Oliver Wyman. Special attention was paid to represent as many aspects of IBA membership as possible in this work shop, ranging from highly experienced to younger (and maybe more modern thinking?) members, from wildlife managers to university scientist and conservationists, from web designers to fund raisers. This working group is currently working on several aspects of IBA’s future: 1. Organizational structure: The workload of IBA officers has increased over time, and is now at a point where it becomes difficult to manage on a voluntary basis. To alleviate the workload and to better prepare the organization for the future, IBA Council will hire a Director of Transition with the main responsibilities of 1) coordinating activities among IBA committees working on different aspects of the future development of IBA, 2) taking over electronic membership management from the IBA secretary (which has proved to be a very time consuming activity), and 3) coordinating fundraising activities for IBA’s future. Legal advice as well as an accountant will be hired on a contract basis to manage payroll, taxes, etc. The seed funding for these positions was obtained from a generous donor. Down the road, IBA plans to hire an Executive Director, reporting to Council, who will run the day to day business of IBA as well as be the central figure responsible for fund raising. At our workshop it became very clear how important it is for everyone to maintain the democratic structure of IBA and at the same time modernize the organization. IBA as an organization will maintain its membership as a profes- sional society of diverse bear biologists with an elected Council. The essence of IBA, the close contact and commu- nication between its members, the conferences, IBN and Ursus, will remain the same. 2. Strategic plan: An important part of the future organizational structure will be a strategic plan on how IBA plans to distribute funding for management and conservation activities and projects. Different parts of the world have dif- ferent needs for bear conservation and management. A North American manager dealing with bears in a suburban area has different needs and concerns compared to an Asian manager trying to conserve a highly fragmented and endangered population. Common to both, is the need to exchange ideas and experiences with colleagues, to receive additional training, as well as opportunities to apply for funding to better understand or solve their specific management and conservation challenge. It is the goal of IBA to better address needs and concerns for science- based bear management and conservation in all parts of the world. Therefore we are working on plans that ad- dress needs and concerns on a geographic basis. In the long run, this will ensure relatively equal access to funding opportunities for all IBA members. 3. Finances and fund raising: A financial and business plan until the end of 2020 was prepared, detailing the expected income (for example from donations, Ursus page charges, etc.) as well as the expected costs for slowly building IBA into a larger organization with a larger budget for membership activities and funding opportunities. Based on this cashflow timeline, a fund raising team is working on a diverse strategy to obtain the necessary funds. IBA is also in contact with professional fundraisers to obtain advice on the best strategies. 4. Communications: Modern times come with modern challenges; the new website has greatly increased the visibility of IBA, and we now receive more feedback, requests and questions than ever before from the general public. Many 4 International Bear News Fall 2018, vol. 27 no. 3 IBA President of them are very relevant (“What kind of bear is this?” asked especially by many media outlets), some are rather unique (a group of engineering grad students asked the question: “Who would win a fight between a silverback go- rilla and a grizzly bear?” In case you know the answer, check in on Facebook and tell me your opinion!), but common to all is greater interest in bears.