MAMMALS OF VANCOUVER AND POINT GREY Summary of Historical and Current Occurrence Records Nick Page, Raincoast Applied Ecology, 2012 Scientific Name Common Name Presence Notes and Comments Historical Current DEER AND ELK Cervus canadensis roosevelti Roosevelt Elk P NP Extirpated from the Vancouver area over 100 years ago; recorded from early Vancouver in swamps and grassy wetlands including Kitsilano, Douglas Park, and False Creek flats (Matthews, 2011); elk hunting increased with expanding local population in the 1880s resulting in extirpation; in the middle to late 1800s "Chief Capilano got thirteen in one day at the head of False Creek, and shipped their carcasses to Victoria" (Matthews, 2011). Odocoileus hemionus Columbian Black- P NP Extirpated from Vancouver and Point Grey; rare migrants from Burnaby or North columbianus tailed Deer Vancouver (“residents of East Van’s Cedar Cottage neighbourhood found an adult deer trapped in a fenced-in construction site” (no date: Dunphy, 2009)); an informant recorded by Matthews (2011) in 1931 stated “Father shot deer on Little Mountain [now Queen Elizabeth Park] in 1912”; deer appear to have been extirpated from Point Grey in the 1980s; Newell (1983) noted: “there are anecdotal accounts of deer and deer sign on the endowment lands particularly along 16th Avenue”; “According to longtime Fraserview residents, the last fawn born in Fraserview was attacked and killed by dogs in the mid 1970s (Urbantreefrog Blog, 2011). CARNIVORES Canis latrans Coyote NP? P Present throughout Vancouver and Point Grey; Coyotes have expanded into Vancouver relatively recently from Lower Fraser Valley: "Coyotes first arrived in the City of Vancouver in the 1980s although they had been in the surrounding areas since the 1930s" (SPES, 2010); Merilees (1988) stated that “coyotes were originally present [in Stanley Park], then disappeared, and now have again become resident”, although this is unconfirmed; Cowan (1930) did not record them from Point Grey in the 1920s. Canis lupus Grey Wolf P NP Extirpated from Vancouver before 1900 by hunting: "About 1887, a wolf was shot, behind what is now the bathhouse on Kitsilano Beach" (Matthews, 2011). Vulpes vulpes Red Fox P RV Likely extirpated from Vancouver but may be an infrequent visitor from Burnaby and Fraser Valley; Newell (1983) noted: "no figure for the number of foxes inhabiting the U.E.L. is available” which suggests they were still present in Point Grey in the early 1980s; Cowan (1930) did not record them in Point Grey. Felis catus Domestic Cat NP P* Widespread and abundant in natural and developed areas of Vancouver; some are feral while others are domestic cats hunting in adjacent habitats. Lynx rufus Bobcat P? RV? Extirpated from Vancouver; possible rare visitor from Burnaby (Burnaby Mountain) to eastern part of city; was observed in Deer Lake area in 2009 and 2010 (Land Conservancy, 2010); Merilees (1988) states that it was “possibly a former resident, but none noted in recent times”; shy and nocturnal, it is rarely seen even if present. Mammals of Vancouver and Point Grey: Summary of Historical and Current Occurrence Records October 2012 Draft – RAINCOAST APPLIED ECOLOGY Puma concolor Cougar P RV Extirpated from Vancouver; very rare visitors from Burnaby or North Vancouver; recorded at Granville Island in Sept 2007; "years previous [no date] concession workers [in the Pacific Coliseum] discovered a hungry cougar roaming the mezzanine" (Dunphy, 2009); the last cougar in Vancouver was shot in October 1911 near Beaver Lake after it had killed deer and sheep in the Stanley Park Zoo (Matthews, 2011). Mephitis mephitis Striped Skunk P P Present throughout Vancouver including developed areas, although most common in Stanley Park and West End. Spilogale gracilis Western Spotted P NP No recent sightings or records and is likely extirpated from Vancouver; "western Skunk spotted skunk used to be common in [Stanley] Park but has not been seen for many years" (SPES, 2010); Cowan (1930) remarked that it was “the most abundant representative of the weasel family” and said its tracks were frequently seen near Musqueam Creek; Merilees (1988) stated that it “continues to be a resident” which indicates it was present in the late 1980s; there is a specimen at UBC museum from Marine Drive from 1932. Lontra canadensis North American P P Infrequently observed along marine shorelines and adjacent areas including River Otter shores of Stanley Park (SPES, 2010), Jericho Beach, Jericho Park ponds, Spanish Bank Creek, False Creek, and Fraser River; Slack (pers. comm.) observed a group of about 12 in the Southlands area in 2011. Martes americana American Marten P RV Likely extirpated from Vancouver but may recolonize infrequently from Burnaby and/or North Shore; SPEC (2010) notes "a lone American marten [was] observed by local naturalists between 2007 and 2009" in Stanley Park; likely visual record from Musqueam Creek area of Pacific Spirit Regional Park in February 2011 (see Elliott, 2001). Mustela erminea Short-tailed P RV Likely extirpated from Vancouver but may still occur in Stanley Park and/or Weasel Pacific Spirit Regional Park; "An adult male weasel [ermine] found dead near the Botanical Garden [in 1943] … constitutes the only known record of this species since 1923. It has been pronounced locally extinct." from Merilees (2005); Cowan (1930) considered it to be rare in Point Grey in the 1920s; Newell (1983) considered it to be “moderately abundant” in the U.E.L. (lists one specimen from Pilsbury, 1950); “Four short-tailed weasels were caught and removed from the area [now Pacific Spirit RP] during the two years [1964-65]” (Britton, 1963); one was captured on Still Creek near Kensington Avenue in Burnaby in January 2004 (Sampson and Watson, 2004); specimens from Point Grey in UBC Museum from 1923, 1955, and 1957. Neovison vison American Mink P P Present along marine shorelines and the Fraser River, as well as nearby streams and wetlands; observed at mouth of Spanish Bank Creek in 2003 feeding on chum salmon carcasses and by tracks in same area in 2012 (N. Page, pers. obs.); SPES (2010) notes: "[mink] have been seen at Beaver Lake, Lost Lagoon and along the Park shorelines. A mink family was spotted near the Prospect Point Café in 2004 and an individual animal was seen at Lost Lagoon in the winter of 2009"; also observed in Burnaby (Brunette River) in August 2011 (N. Page, pers. obs.) and Byrne Creek in September 2006 (Cipywnyk, Mammals of Vancouver and Point Grey: Summary of Historical and Current Occurrence Records October 2012 Draft – RAINCOAST APPLIED ECOLOGY 2011). Procyon lotor Northern Raccoon P P Widespread and abundant throughout natural areas and residential areas with gardens for foraging. Ursus americanus American Black P RV Rare visitor from Burnaby and North Vancouver but not established in Bear Vancouver; seen in East Vancouver in 2008: "Provincial conservation officers tranquillized a bear in the 2100 block of Franklin Street, about three blocks west of Nanaimo Street, after a car struck it near the PNE. A few months later, police helped contain a mother and cub for tranquillizing near Hastings and Cassiar streets. " (Dunphy, 2009) Ursus arctos Grizzly Bear P NP Extirpated; likely an infrequent visitor even before early settlement. SEALS AND SEA LIONS Eumetopias jubatus Steller Sea Lion P R Occasional visitor to English Bay and Burrard Inlet; "The marine mammals that commonly use the Park are harbour seals and occasionally sea lions" (SPES, 2010). Zalophus californianus California Sea Lion P R Occasional visitor to English Bay and Burrard Inlet; historically rare in Strait of Georgia (McKechnie and Wigen, 2011). Mirounga angustirostris Northern Elephant P NP Likely an infrequent visitor to Burrard Inlet historically, but rare and never Seal abundant; population expanding in Strait of Georgia. Phoca vitulina Harbour Seal P P Frequently observed along marine shorelines and Fraser River; uses log-booms and docks as a haul-out sites in Metro Vancouver Port and other areas; “individual seals occasionally haul out off Ferguson Point and the the rocks near Siwash Rock” (Robertson and Bekhuys, 1995). WHALES AND DOLPHINS Megaptera novaeangliae Humpback Whale P NP Extirpated from Strait of Georgia around 1908, their population is slowly expanding; there was a possible sighting in Howe Sound in winter 2007/2008 (Birdsall, 2009) but no confirmed sightings from English Bay and Burrard Inlet in over 100 years. Orcinus orca Killer Whale P P Infrequent visitor; both resident and transient groups occasionally visit English Bay and Burrard Inlet; a group of transients was seen in May 2011 near Stanley Park (Wildwhales.org, 2010). Eschrichtius robustus Grey Whale P RV Rare visitor to English Bay and Burrard Inlet; was observed in False Creek in May 2010 and English Bay in September 2010 (Wildwhales.org, 2010). Phocoena phocoena Harbour Porpoise P P Present in Georgia Strait (COSEWIC, 2003) and likely an infrequent visitor to Burrard Inlet. Phocoenoides dalli Dall's Porpoise P NP? Not present in Burrard Inlet despite small population in the Strait of Georgia; most recent records are from southern Gulf Islands and Juan de Fuca; likely rare historically. Lagenorhynchus obliquidens Pacific White-sided P RV Extirpated historically, Pacific White-sided Dolphins have recently returned to Dolphin Howe Sound (2010-2011); they may be occasional visitors to Burrard Inlet; likely to be more abundant in future. BATS Mammals of Vancouver and Point Grey: Summary of Historical and Current Occurrence Records October 2012 Draft – RAINCOAST APPLIED ECOLOGY Corynorhinus townsendii Townsend's Big- P RV May be present in Vancouver based on historical records; still present in the eared Bat Lower Fraser Valley (known colony in Minnekhada Regional Park) (Nagorsen and Brigham, 1993). Eptesicus fuscus Big Brown Bat P P Present in Vancouver; recorded with mist-net sampling in Stanley Park in Aug- Sept 2009 (Rutherford and Sinclair, 2010).