Open Collections

Scherger, Jenna Kristine

University of British Columbia

Human-carnivore conflict affects human safety, livelihoods, animal welfare, carnivore population stability, and ecological integrity. Understanding factors associated with conflicts may help to identify management actions that better support the safety of people and wildlife. Over the past few decades, interactions between people and wolves (Canis lupus) in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Canada have resulted in attacks on people, pets, and the death of wolves. To understand the spatial patterns of conflict, we used data from 124 camera traps (2018-2022) to quantify temporal wolf activity in relation to human activity, infrastructure, and prey availability. We further tested the effect of human activity on wolf space use and quantified wolf distribution and activity during COVID-19 lockdowns. We then used wolf activity models and landscape variables as covariates to understand the timing and distribution of 277 reported human-wolf interactions that occurred between 2017-2021. Our analyses suggested that wolf activity was consistently greater in proximity to prey habitat and recreational infrastructure. There was no compelling evidence to suggest the absence of park visitors during the COVID-19 lockdown altered wolf distribution or activity. Unsurprisingly, human-wolf interactions occurred where humans and wolves spatially overlap, especially in areas where wolves lacked hiding cover. Key recommendations to promote human-wolf coexistence include focusing education outreach (e.g., attractant management and wolf ecology) in areas where high human activity overlaps with potential wolf habitat.

Text

2023-12-01

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/86721

Biology

University of British Columbia

UBCO

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/