Science

To support the review of the Wolf Conservation and Management Plan (WCMP, 1992), the Review Committee contracted a review of the documented wolf management programs in Yukon and surrounding jurisdictions. The following report is organized in two sections: 1) a summary of the key elements of the wolf management programs and 2) a 1-2 page review of the completed and existing programs that involved wolf control in Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Yukon.

Growing threats to biodiversity in the tropics mean there is an increasing need for effective monitoring that balances scientific rigor with practical feasibility. Alternatives to professional techniques are emerging that are based on the involvement of local people. Such locally based monitoring methods may be more sustainable over time, allow greater spatial coverage and quicker management decisions, lead to

Few reliable methods exist for estimating population size of large terrestrial carnivores. This is particularly true in forested areas where sightability is low and when radiocollared individuals are unavailable in the target population. We used stratified network sampling to sample wolf (Canis lycaon) tracks in the snow to estimate density in western Algonquin Park, Ontario in February 2002.

Observations of wolves (Canis lupus) were recorded during aerial surveys of barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) from May 1966 to October 1968 over portions of northern Manitoba, northeastern Saskatchewan, and southeastern District of Keewatin, Northwest Territories. These observations were made over the entire range of the Kaminuriak population of caribou. There was a close association between the distribution of wolves and caribou.

This book assesses Alaskan wolf and bear management programs from scientific and economic perspectives. Relevant factors that should be taken into account when evaluating the utility of such programs are identified.

Understanding how populations are structured and how they use natural and anthropogenic spaces is essential for effective wildlife management. A total of 510 barren-ground (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus), 176 boreal (R. t. caribou), 11 mountain woodland (R. t. caribou), and 39 island (R. t. groenlandicus x pearyi) caribou were tracked with satellite collars in 1993-2009 in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and northern Alberta.

The grey wolf has one of the largest historic distributions of any terrestrial mammal and can disperse over great distances across imposing topographic barriers. As a result, geographical distance and physical obstacles to dispersal may not be consequential factors in the evolutionary divergence of wolf populations. However, recent studies suggest ecological features can constrain gene flow. We tested whether wolf-prey associations in uninterrupted tundra and forested regions of Canada explained differences in migratory behaviour, genetics, and coat colour of wolves.

Various jurisdictions in Canada and the United States have implemented programs to manage wolves, often in response to concerns for declining ungulate populations. Lethal and/or non-lethal methods have been used in Northwest Territories (NWT), Yukon, Alaska, British Columbia, and Alberta with varying results. Historically, trapping and ground shooting of wolves was encouraged through incentive programs, some of which included use of poisons. Current, on-going wolf management programs often integrate harvest-based techniques with more intensive approaches, such as aerial shooting.

Management of wolves (Canis lupus) in British Columbia, as with most other Canadian provinces, is conducted on a regional scale (38,557–252,776 km²), yet there is no standardized, cost-effective methodology for providing reliable estimates of wolf abundance at this scale.

The food habits of tundra wolves were investigated mainly between 1960 and 1965, although some work continued until 1968. Studies were carried out in spring and summer in the Thelon Game Sanctuary,  Northwest Territories, with supplementary winter work on caribou winter range north of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and east of Fort Smith.  Tag recoveries showed that tundra wolves may migrate over 200 miles and that their movements are associated with those of the barren-ground caribou.