Animal welfare is increasingly important in the understanding of how human activity affects wildlife, but the conservation community is still grappling with meaningful terminology when communicating this aspect of their work. One example is the use of the terms “humane” and “inhumane.” These terms are used in scientific contexts, but they also have legal and social definitions.
In 1996, the first cows in the Bathurst herd of barren-ground caribou were satellite collared. Subsequently, the program was maintained by using between five and 21 collared cows transmitting locations between 1996 and 2005. The purpose of this report is to compile information about the collaring program and the chronology of collaring. The report is an update of a 2001 summary and it is meant to be an illustrative not exhaustive review of the analyses.
This updated guide includes information for harvesters on the 2019/20 North Slave Wolf Harvest Incentive Area and associated increased incentives for wolf harvesting in the North Slave Region.
This report shares information on the collaborative actions taken over the past year to support barren-ground caribou recovery in the North Slave Region, including results and next steps, focusing specifically on satellite collaring, results from the enhanced wolf harvest incentive program, and an overview of the 2019 fire season.
We evaluated the accuracy and precision of tooth wear for aging gray wolves (Canis lupus) from Alaska, Minnesota, and Ontario based on 47 known-age or known-minimum-age skuIIs. Estimates of age using
tooth wear and a commercial cementum annuli-aging service were useful for wolves up to 14 years old. The precision of estimates from cementum annuli was greater than estimates from tooth wear, but tooth wear
This manual provides guidance on how and when to conduct Intensive Aerial Wolf Survey and Minimum Wolf Count surveys.
During September 1980-December 1986, 81 radio-collared wolves (Canis lupus) were monitored in and near the 839-km2839-km2 Bearville Study Area (BSA) in north-central Minnesota. Each year winter-territory size averaged 78−153 km278−153 km2; no territories had road densities >0.72 km/km2>0.72 km/km2. From zero to 30% of radio-marked pup, yearling, or adult wolves left their territories each month. Pups left natal packs during January-March and older wolves left frequently during September-April.
A LARGE, DARK WOLF poked his nose out of the pines in Yellowstone National Park as he thrust a broad foot deep into the snow and plowed ahead. Soon a second animal appeared, then another, and a fourth. A few minutes later, a pack of thirteen lanky wolves had filed out of the pines and onto the open hillside.
Wolves (Canis lupus) on the Canadian barrens are intimately linked to migrating herds of barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus). We deployed a Global Positioning System (GPS) radio collar on an adult female wolf to record her movements in response to changing caribou densities near her den during summer. This wolf and two other females were observed nursing a group of 11 pups. She traveled a minimum of 341 km during a 14-day excursion. The straight-line distance from the den to the farthest location was 103 km, and the overall minimum rate of travel was 3.1 km/h.
We examine the historical relationship between humans and wolves as illustrated through stories of North American Indigenous Peoples, especially the Great Plains and Intermountain West, exemplified by Cheyenne, Lakota, Blackfoot, Pawnee, and Shoshone peoples. Indigenous stories have not been employed in scholarly examinations of the origins of ‘dogs’. These tribal peoples were tough and resilient and wanted companion animals as tough and resilient as themselves.