Winter Den Abandonment by Brown Bears Ursus arctos: Causes and Consequences

Winter den abandonment by brown bears Ursus arctos in south-central Sweden and southeastern Norway was found to occur in 9% of 194 bearwinters, based on 68 radio-marked bears almost two years old and older. There was no statistical difference between the sexes, between adults and subadults, nor did...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Wildlife Biology 1997-03, Vol.3 (1), p.35-38
Main Authors: Swenson, Jon E., Sandegren, Finn, Brunberg, Sven, Wabakken, Petter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
brown bear
den abandonment
disturbance
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Ursus arctos
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Summary:Winter den abandonment by brown bears Ursus arctos in south-central Sweden and southeastern Norway was found to occur in 9% of 194 bearwinters, based on 68 radio-marked bears almost two years old and older. There was no statistical difference between the sexes, between adults and subadults, nor did protection from military or timber-harvesting activities reduce the rate of abandonment. Although anecdotal, observations suggest that human disturbance was a major cause of den abandonment. Most abandonment occurred early in the denning period, before mid-winter. Bears moved up to 30 km before denning again. Distance was not related to sex, age, or time of abandonment. Apparently for the first time, a fitness cost of den abandonment is documented: pregnant females that changed dens prior to parturition lost young in or near the den significantly more often than those that did not move.
ISSN:0909-6396
1903-220X
DOI:10.2981/wlb.1997.005