Spatial and temporal patterns of problem polar bears in Churchill,Manitoba |
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Authors: | Lindsay Towns A E Derocher I Stirling N J Lunn D Hedman |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada;(2) Wildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, 5320-122 Street, Edmonton, AB, T6H 3S5, Canada;(3) Manitoba Conservation, Box 28, 59 Elizabeth Drive, Thompson, MB, R8N 1X4, Canada |
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Abstract: | Human–bear interactions near the town of Churchill, Manitoba occur annually because the Western Hudson Bay polar bear population
spends 4–5 months on-land each year when the sea ice melts completely. Significant changes have occurred in the Hudson Bay
ecosystem and in the bear population as a result of climate warming; however, how these changes may have influenced human–bear
interactions near Churchill is unclear. This study examined the temporal and spatial patterns of 1,487 problem bears captured
in the Churchill area from 1970 to 2004. We also examined the relationship between problem bears and environmental variables
as well as the Nunavut harvest. The number of individual problem bears caught near Churchill varied from 10 to 90 individuals
per year and increased over time. Subadult males comprised 39%, subadult females 23%, adult males 18%, females with young
14%, and solitary females 6% of captures. Bears that became problem individuals were in closer proximity to the Churchill
area. Nutritional stress and a northward shift in the distribution of the bears that spend the summer on-land in northeastern
Manitoba may account for the increase in problem bear numbers. The date of sea ice freeze-up, which is getting progressively
later, was the best predictor explaining the annual variation in the occurrence of problem bears. These results provide an
understanding of how a warming climate may directly impact polar bear behaviour. This information may allow wildlife managers
to predict relative levels of human–bear interactions and thereby implement effective management strategies to improve human
safety and the conservation of polar bears. |
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