We equipped 17 bears with GPS-collars and used telemetry data to locate bear den sites and monitor denning chronology. In Slovenia, denning period averaged 82 days for females and 57 days for males. When compared with other previously studied regions, we noted strong deviations, as bears in Slovenia spent 45-56% shorter time in the dens compared to the time predicted for this latitude according to the studies from regions without bear feeding. Another deviation observed in Slovenia was regular den abandonments by the bears. We also studied what bears were doing, when not inside dens during winter. Telemetry data showed that bears spent large amount of their active time during winter at the feeding sites. Compared to the non-denning period, bears active during the winter increased their use of supplemental feeding sites for 61%, suggesting that intensive supplemental feeding with corn is the main reason why denning period of Slovenian bears is so short. This is the first study that demonstrated connection between availability of anthropogenic food sources and length of the denning period in brown bears. Results have important management and ecological implication and we prepared management guidelines based on these results.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4578982
Conflicts arising from wildlife damage in intensively managed landscapes often undermine conservation efforts, making damage mitigation and compensation of special concern for wildlife conservation. However, the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of damage and claims at large scales are still poorly understood. We investigated the patterns of damage caused by brown bears Ursus arctos and its ecological and socio-economic correlates at a continental scale. We compiled information about compensation schemes across 26 countries in Europe in 2005–2012 and analysed the variation in the number of compensated claims in relation to (i) bear abundance, (ii) forest availability, (iii) human land use, (iv) management practices inclouding artificial feeding and (v) indicators of economic wealth. The mean number of compensated claims per bear and year ranged from 0·1 in Estonia to 8·5 in Norway. This variation was not only due to the differences in compensation schemes; damage claims were less numerous in areas with supplementary feeding and with a high proportion of agricultural land. However, observed variation in compensated damage was not related to bear abundance. Compensation schemes, management practices and human land use influence the number of claims for brown bear damage, while bear abundance does not.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4452006
Using GPS telemetry we studied how management of brown bears affected interspecific interactions with an endangered apex predator, the Eurasian lynx in Slovenia. Bears are one of the most important dominant scavengers and regularly usurp kills from other large predators. At the same time, bears throughout the world are usually actively managed, which could influence interactions among carnivores. In this study we observed that bear scavenging pressure resulted in substantial energetic losses for Eurasian lynx. The probability of lynx losing kills to bears ranged from 8 to 74% and strongly depended on local bear densities and monthly bear movement rates. Interaction intensity differed almost 3-fold between different bear management zones and the presence of a bear feeding site increased the odds of lynx losing kills by 5-fold. We suggest that existing bear-feeding regimes should be reconsidered in order to reduce unwanted side-effects of this controversial practice on endangered apex predators. We also call attention to the importance of considering impacts of interspecific interactions in wildlife management and conservation.
COBISS.SI-ID: 4328614