Patterns of movement of released female brown bears in the Cantabrian Mountains, northwestern Spain

Abstract

Between 2008 and 2013, 3 female brown bears (Ursus arctos; 2 cubs-of-the-year and 1 2-yr-old) were rescued, rehabilitated in captivity, radiotagged, and released back to the Cantabrian Mountains, northwestern Spain. We characterized their daily and seasonal movements post-release to gain insights into their movement strategies and the viability of bears released in human-dominated environments. The bears exhibited marked diurnal activity and were active throughout winter. Two bears demonstrated behaviors similar to those reported for wild bears, whereas one cub-of-the-year was recaptured after 21 days because she developed signs of habituation to humans.

Keywords

bear release; brown bear; daily activity; movement; rhythms of activity; Ursus arctos

Published in

Ursus
2017, volume: 28, number: 2, pages: 165-170
Publisher: INT ASSOC BEAR RESEARCH & MANAGEMENT-IBA

SLU Authors

• Lopez, José

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • University of Oviedo

UKÄ Subject classification

Zoology

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2192/URSU-D-16-00012.1

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/93591