Black bear, Ursus americanus, survival and demography were studied in Banff National Park (BNP) from 1994 to 2000 to test the efficacy of National Park protection. 25 radio-collared bears were monitored an average of 1.9 years each for a total of 51.8 bear-years. Eighty-two percent of all mortality (n=11) was human-caused, composed of highway mortality (36%), management mortality (27%) and management relocation (18%). Survival was influenced by season and management status. Once bears became a management problem, survival (0.66) was lower than several hunted populations.

Adult (0.84) survival was comparable to other unprotected or partly protected populations. Cub (0.64) and yearling (0.67) survival, and reproductive rate (mx=0.47 female cubs/inter-birth interval) were slightly lower than other populations in western North America. We combined survival and reproductive rates in a preliminary post-birth pulse age-class Leslie matrix model and estimated population growth rate as 0.95 (95% simulated C.I. 0.79–1.10). Sensitivity analyses showed λ was most sensitive to changes in adult female survival.

Responsible management agencies should reduce adult female highway mortality and the likelihood of becoming a management problem, while continuing monitoring to refine demographic analyses to adequately protect this population.

Read the original paper here.