Oso Urs International Bear News Bär Ours Björn MeдBeдb Quarterly Newsletter of the Orso BЄa Bjørn Medved International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) Samxe Beer Shashˆ and IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group Beruang Bhalou Karhu Bear May 2006 Vol. 15 no. 2 Rumiko Nakashita recently received her PhD. from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology for her work on the feeding history of Asiatic black bears. She is featured in this issue’s Student Spotlight on page 33.. IBA websites: www.bearbiology.org www.bearbiology.com Table of Contents Council News 3 From the President 4 Research and Conservation Grants Opinion 7 Pressure Growing for a Cull on Bears in Slovakia 8 Good Estimates of Density: A Response to Garshelis and McLellan Bear Specialist Group 1 Bear Sighting in Iraq 1 Green Bear in the Desert 14 Recognizing Designatable Units of Bears Below The Species Level for IUCN Red Listing 15 Bear Specialist Group Workshop 15 Bear Specialist Group Expert Teams Eurasia 16 Conservation Management Convention on Cantabrian Brown Bears 16 Brown Bear Management Plan, Bulgaria 17 Bear Behaviors Potentially Contributing to the Fatal Mauling of Two Photographers Americas 19 Alaska Bears 19 North Central U. S. 0 Southeast and South Central U. S. 1 Northwest U. S. 22 Canada Captive Bears 3 Knee-Deep in Bear Scat 5 Learning Adaptation in Caged and Enriched Environments: Student Forum 8 Student Forum Activity 8 Hai! Japan Gets Ready For IBA Students! 30 Lodging for Students at Nagano 30 Your Proposal Is Your Friend 33 Student Spotlight: Rumiko Nakashita, Japan Bears in Culture 33 Bear Hugs Publications 35 Recent Bear Publications 35 8th Western Black Bear Workshop Proceedings Communications 35 Polar Bears: a Guide to Safety 36 Documentary Bear Series Collects Third Award Events 37 4nd North American Moose Conference 37 First European Congress of Conservation Biology 37 17th International Conference on Bear Research and Management 39 IBA 006 Japan Registration Form 4 18th International Conference on Bear Research and Management IBA 43 IBA Membership Application 45 IBA Publications Order Form 47 IBA Officers and Council 48 IBA Mission Statement International Bear News, ISSN #1064-1564, quarterly newsletter of the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) Editors: Matt Durnin (Managing), Janissa Balcomb (Layout/Design), Jordan Schaul (Correspondence), Jim Tomlin (Production/Distribution), Tanya Rosen (Translation) PO Box 46, Brookeville MD 0833 USA, Phone: +1-415-31-8369, Fax: +1-415-31-8637 Email: [email protected], Websites: www.bearbiology.com www.bearbiology.org Back issues are available at www.bearbiology.com 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 [email protected] are preferred; otherwise, mail or fax to the address above. IBA reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions. Deadline for the August 2006 issue is July 5, 2006 Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue. Artwork is copyrighted – do not reproduce without permission. Membership Use the form on page 43 to order or renew memberships, make donations, and/or update member information. International Bear News May 2006, vol. 15 no. 2 Council News tions with the objective of increasing 0051. Brown bear control was limited From the President numbers of moose. to a 7000 km focus area (700 mi) Research has shown that in some within the 8,000 km (10,680 mi) Harry Reynolds areas, predation by black or brown Unit. Participants in the control effort PO Box 80843 bears can be responsible for 13-5% were allowed to kill an unlimited Fairbanks AK 99708, USA of mortality of moose calves during number of brown bears until 60% Phone +1 907-479-5169 the first six months following birth. of the bears in the area were taken. Email: [email protected] Wolf predation on moose populations Hunters could use bait to attract [email protected] occurs year-round. In conjunction brown bears, a practice previously al- with bear predation on calves, moose lowed for black bears but not legal for Spring! Ah, beautiful spring. It is population density can remain at taking brown bears. However, despite early April as I write this—the sun is densities much lower than carry- the management goal of killing up to rising higher in the sky every day and ing capacity for many years. In two 71 brown bears, only two brown bears the snow has begun to melt. Here in studies, brown or black bears were were taken under this program. interior Alaska, we will get some more captured and translocated >00 km During May 006, the Alaska snow showers before the first anemo- prior to moose calving season, and Board of Game, the regulatory body nes or wild iris emerges, but in six calf survival increased. Increased appointed by the state’s governor, will weeks, summer will have arrived. For survival to yearling age occurred in again act on proposals to substantially now, the first observations have been one study but not the other. In other reduce bear populations in Unit 0e. made of brown bears emerging from studies, road-killed moose not fit for It is likely that once in place, the same dens, but few females with cubs will human consumption were set out in practices will be adopted in many leave dens before early May. Another moose calving areas to divert bears other areas of the state. These propos- summer season will arrive in a flash. from preying on calves. Increases in als were submitted with the belief calf survival were observed when 15.8 that killing more bears will result Controversy in Alaska metric tons/1000 km were provided, in more moose that can be taken by While spring is a time of renewal, but not when 9.6 metric tons/1000 hunters. Within Unit 0e, proposals there are clouds of controversy for km were set out. include measures to (1) allow the sale bear management in Alaska. Al- As a result of these studies, there of brown bears, a practice that has not though brown and black bears are have been increasing calls from some been legal for over 45 years; () allow managed as important and integral hunting organizations, communities, hunters to kill bears on the same day parts of ecosystems, especially in and decision-makers to substantially that they have been airborne in light national parks, management goals reduce both bear and wolf popula- aircraft; (3) include both species of of the State of Alaska vary from area tions in many areas of Alaska. In the bears in the control program, even to area (Polar bears are managed past, regulatory changes designed to when research indicated only brown separately under federal law and reduce bear numbers took the form of bears were an important contributor international treaties). The primary increasing length of hunting seasons, to moose calf mortality; (4) allow bear management goals for black and waiving of tag fees, or allowing hunt- non-resident guided sport hunters to brown bears in specific areas of Alaska ers to take one brown bear annually participate in the control program, include: encouraging viewing and instead of the previous standard of even though control efforts are not photography, allowing hunting under one every four years. considered as a sport hunting activity; remote and uncrowded conditions, One area in which predation by and, (5) enlarge the control program maintaining a reasonable opportunity brown bears and wolves has been to include an area of about 0,000 to hunt large adult males as trophies, identified as important factors in km. In other areas, proposals include or maintaining the maximum op- keeping moose population numbers measures to (1) allow use of steel traps portunity to engage in bear hunting. at chronically low levels is Game or snares to take either species of However, beginning in the 1980s, Management Unit 0e, in interior bears, again even if only one species an additional goal was established Alaska near the Canadian border. is implicated as a factor in low calf to reduce bear populations whose Hunting seasons and bag limits were survival, and to () allow hunters to predation behavior resulted in the very liberal but the hunter kill of decline of ungulate populations that brown bears remained below sustain- 1 Specific regulations can be viewed at http:// were important for human use. More able yield. In an effort to provide for old-www.legis. state.ak.us/cgi-bin/folioisa. recently, management decisions have dll/aac/query=[jump!3A!75+aac+9!E115!7]/ intensive management of a moose doc/{@3622}? For Unit 0e, rationale for been made in many areas of the state population, aerial wolf control and a the control program is provided under 5 AAC which are designed to substantially program to substantially reduce the 9.15 Predation Control Implementation reduce brown or black bear popula- bear population was begun during Plans (8). International Bear News May 2006, vol. 15 no. 2 3 Council News take brown bear dependent yearling would best be managed to assure conference in the 3rd year of each offspring or their mothers, despite the continued population sustainability triennial cycle. This means that there high likelihood that if only the mother and appropriate growth. Continued is an available slot to host a confer- is killed, yearling offspring would not use of the best scientific procedures ence in 009. This can be held in survive. for monitoring the population size, any continent. Please contact me or Even before the efficacy of any of trajectory, production, and mortality any member of Council if you want the measures have been assessed on will be crucial to the future of the additional information.