Science

Ten 7-day-old gnotobiotic Beagle puppies were inoculated intraperitoneally with virulent canine distemper virus (R252-CDV). The dogs were killed and perfused with paraformaldehyde/glutaraldehyde from eight to 36 days after inoculation. The developing teeth of the mandibles were examined by light microscopy, and the teeth from three dogs were examined by electron microscopy. Necrosis of individual cells in the stratum intermedium of the developing tooth was the first change, detectable at day 9 post-inoculation. At day 16 postinoculation, there was disorganization of the ameloblasts.

1. We investigated the functional response of wolves (Canis lupus) to varying abundance of ungulate prey to test the hypothesis that switching from alternate prey to preferred prey results in regulation of a caribou (Rangifer tarandus) population at low densities.

Of the 64 wolves recorded as harvested from the North Slave Region in 2019-20, 50 carcasses were necropsied.

The North Slave Region received 65 wolf carcasses from the winter of 2018-19 that were necropsied. There were 59 wolves taken by hunters in the new wolf harvest incentive area in winter 2018-19, 56 of which were paid $900/wolf ($50,400 total).

The Wildlife Management Advisory Council (WMAC-NWT) and the Inuvialuit Game Council (IGC) approved a wolf-prey research program because wolves in the area prey predominately on caribou (Rangifer tarandus), which is an important food species for Inuvialuit. Wolves are also an Important fur resource used in the communities or sold for economic benefit. The Inuvialuit are interested in maintaining a wolf population that is a part of the natural environment and can meet their needs, yet not jeopardize their opportunity to harvest caribou.

The Wildlife Management Advisory Council (WMAC-NWT) and the Inuvialuit Game Council (IGC) approved a wolf-prey research program because wolves in the area prey predominately on caribou (Rangifer tarandus), which is an important food species for Inuvialuit. Wolves are also an Important fur resource used in the communties or sold for economic benefit. The Inuvialuit are interested in maintaining a wolf population that is a part of the natural environment and can meet their needs, yet not jeopardize their opportunity to harvest caribou.

This Report provides a summary of the gross necropsy findings from 36 wolf carcasses derived from the 2020 Wolf (Dìga) Management Pilot Program implemented on the Bathurst and Bluenose-East caribou winter ranges.

The Mobile Conservation Zone (MCZ) was implemented as a strategy to ensure the conservation of the Bathurst caribou herd. The MCZ is a dynamic wildlife management unit that represents a ‘no harvest zone’ around the herd’s current location. The MCZ boundary is updated approximately every four days to account for both daily and seasonal shifts in landscape use by the caribou. The objective of this project was to develop an ArcMap Add-In that utilizes telemetry data to generate MCZ boundaries for the Bathurst herd for a user-specified time period (e.g., every four days).

Wolves (Canis lupus) and arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) are the only canid species found throughout the mainland tundra and arctic islands of North America. Contrasting evolutionary histories, and the contemporary ecology of each species, have combined to produce their divergent population genetic characteristics. 

Key words: Alopex lagopus, arctic fox, Canis lupus, dispersal, genetic structure, grey wolf, microsatellite, prey specialization.

This study characterizes population genetic structure among grey wolves (Canis lupus) in northwestern Canada, and discusses potential physical and biological determinants of this structure. 

Key words: Banks Island, gene flow, grey wolf, microsatellites, prey specialization, topographic barriers.