Black bears (Ursus americanus) in northeastern Labrador
LE3 .A278 2001
2001
Bondrup-Nielsen, Soren
Acadia University
Master of Science
Masters
Biology
Ten black bears in the Voisey's Bay area of Labrador were studied in 1996 and 1997 using GPS and VHF radio telemetry. GPS collars recorded location and movement activity, but did not operate as long as expected. The short life span of the GPS collars was attributed to battery malfunction. General observations of bear ecology included information on feeding habits, den sites, den entry, spring emergence, reproduction, demographics, morphology, and daily activity. Age structure of captured subjects suggests an older population and female reproductive histories as determined through analysis of cementum annuli suggest delayed sexual maturity. Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) home ranges were calculated and analyzed to determine if location sample sizes were adequate to estimate home range. Sample size was considered adequate for 2 subjects and borderline for 3 others. Post translocation point removals at discreet time intervals following each translocation event were used to determine if translocation inflated home range estimates. It appeared that translocation did significantly effect home range estimation for several subjects. Habitat selection for 3 adult females was analyzed using Chi-square goodness of fit. Two of the females preferred forested areas, although visual observations suggest that black bears use the barrens and forested areas, similarly. Funding for the study was provided by the Voisey's nay Nickel company.
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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:2845