These almost-mythical, cantankerous denizens of the deep boreal forest are my favorite carnivore. My Wild Carnivore website has been sending a percentage of proceeds from the sale of my wolverine t shirt to The Wolverine Foundation since I started the site. I have books, videos and scientific papers on wolverines. If you’re reading this blog, get ready for wolverines.

The Alberta Conservation Association is working on a field research project using non-scientists to gather data:

Project goals: to engage non-scientists in conservation actions through participating in the collection of information on a data-deficient species; to protect key wilderness areas in the face of expanding human pressures and a changing climate; to increase the public’s understanding of the importance of intact wilderness to the Canadian identity

The wolverine is an icon of Canadian wilderness. They are most commonly associated with areas where human disturbance is low, but we know relatively little about why this is or what future development and climate change might mean to this species. They will battle a grizzly bear for food, but will they be able to take on industrial development or changing snow conditions? Volunteers and citizen science can help us find out. For this project, volunteers from the Alberta Trappers’ Association will participate in a unique initiative by collecting information on where wolverines live, the type of habitat that is important, and the obstacles they face in an uncertain future. Trappers, who wish to protect wilderness for future generations, will identify wolverine tracks and monitor remote camera stations. The non-invasive (live) collection of hair samples from hair snag stations will provide DNA. Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) biologists will use these pieces of information to assess habitat occupancy and population size. Habitat change modelling predictions and location information from collared wolverines will be incorporated into our online communication to show the size of area and habitat features that need to be protected for wolverine populations to remain healthy. This will be part of an education campaign to engage the public in protecting key wilderness areas. ACA will ensure that volunteer-produced information is collected consistently and accurately. This will enable us to combine the best on-the-ground knowledge with scientific data to produce results that will be accepted and understood by a wide audience.

The latest Project Update reveals how they managed to capture DNA samples by clipping some hair from a male wolverine. Not the usual method, but it appears to be effective! Check their rare photographs of a wild wolverine.

The Wildlife Research Institute is conducting the longest and most detailed black bear study and the largest educational outreach program ever for black bears. Keep an eye on their black bear den cam to follow the growth of these newest of carnivores!

Scientific consensus is now emerging to show these animals are crucial to the functioning of a healthy ecosystem. Food chain effects caused by adding or removing a top species are known as “trophic cascades,” and evidence is accumulating:

-overhunting of sea otters caused the collapse of kelp forests, as without predation by otters, the sea urchin population exploded and the feed on kelp

-when jaguars and pumas fled a valley flooded by construction of a dam in Venezuela, howler monkeys multiplied out of control and went mad as the plants they ate increased toxins in self defense

-the wolf’s return to Yellowstone National Park and their predation on elk gave willow and other trees the chance to grow along streams, cooling water temperatures for trout and encouraging the return of the beaver, whose ponds are vital for songbirds and amphibians

-a reduction of lion and leopard populations in Ghana led to an explosion of baboons that attacked livestock, damaged crops and spread internal parasites to the human population

It’s not just the loss of the large predators that can have an effect on human health. Small wild cats, birds of prey, coyotes and other carnivores feed on mice and rats that destroy crops and spread disease.

In spite of all the scientific evidence, governments in many countries – among them Canada and the USA (wolves) and Argentina (puma) – are still adamant that predators be wiped out. They are still  the scapegoats for anything that goes wrong in nature, and their removal is the first knee-jerk reaction taken by officials.

It’s time governments started acknowledging the scientific evidence showing we have to pay attention to the well being of predators if we want healthy ecosystems, and a healthy planet.

See also:

The Crucial Role of Predators 

Trophic Downgrading of Planet Earth

Trophic Cascades

Thse playful little animals are active year round, even when water freezes in winter. They are mainly nocturnal, with some activity at dusk and dawn, and you have to be incredibly lucky to see one in the wild.

North American River Otters typically travel in water and are able to swim long distances under ice during the winter. Family groups may travel long distances over land from one watershed to another. When traveling on land, they often slide instead of bounding, especially if snow is present, or when going downhill on slippery ground. When snow sliding, they push forward with their back legs, while the front feet are tucked under the belly.

I managed to find this video on YouTube that gives a clear picture of how those tracks were made in the Jan 6 photo. How cool are these animals?!

Fully computer generated news sections from Carnivore Conservation.org are permanently updated, so check often!

Felidae News

Canidae News

Ursidae News

Other Carnivores

• Whether you’re a fan of Twitter or not, you can now read what people around the world are saying about wildlife. We’ve set up a #Wildlife Daily newspaper that gathers all the tweets using the #wildlife hashtag and puts them in the form of a newsletter. You can have it send a reminder email each time it’s updated, so you get notification right in your inbox. It’s also a terrific way to find other twitter users to follow who are concerned about the world’s wild species.

Felidae

• Where have all the bobcats gone?
• Scientist tracks jaguars in Venezuela
• Safety in cougar country
• Campaign to release rare South China tigers into the wilderness
• Police shoot dead rare leopard in Indonesia
• Conservation groups call for tripling of Florida panther refuge

Canidae

• Red wolf makes comeback in North Carolina
• Two new wolf pups in eastern Oregon
• New brochure brings facts about wolves and coyotes to light
• NM ranchers sue over changes in wolf program

Ursidae

• Grizzly research unites Alberta expert, NHL star Mats Sundin
• Sow grizzly in Yellowstone National Park has quadruplets
• Threat to polar bears worries Russian experts
• Facebook campaign to save Canadian bears caught in drug bust
• Grizzlies going hungry due to lack of whitebark pine cones
• Grizzly bears transplanted to Cabinet Mountains return home to Whitefish area

Procyonidae

• Baby raccoon exposes 45 people to rabies

In their launch article, Chapron and Monbiot describe the plight of the Pyrenean bear, of which there are only around 20 left in the wild. There are political reasons that more isn’t being done to protect this bear which is on the brink of extinction.

We are looking for our top 100 specific targets we will get authorities sign up to prior to the international biodiversity summit in Japan in October. These can be added via a form [http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/13/biodiversity-100-form] on the Biodiversity 100 site or email christine.ottery@biodiversity100.org

Guillaume Chapron:
“As researchers in ecology, we strive that our results are published in the best journals, but we also wish that they can be useful in advancing biodiversity conservation. With many governments stressing their strong commitment to science-based environmental policies, we could hope to successfully reverse the biodiversity crisis. Still, it does not seem to be happening and, in fact, we often observe that pure political considerations prevail over anything else. Are we unable to reach governments or are governments just not listening?.”

This is a weekly roundup of news items featuring the wild carnivores of the world. If you miss the news during the week, check our blog on Fridays!

Felidae

• Six rare North African Cheetah cubs born at the Whipsnade Zoo, UK
• Wisconsin cougars, gone since 1908, are confirmed back in the State
• How domestic cats could save the ‘Highland tiger’ (Scottish wildcat)
• Endangered snow leopard clawing its way back in Pakistan

Canidae

• Montana aims to settle wolf lawsuit or remove / kill gray wolves
• Gray wolves: a successful recovery in the Rockies?
• Oregon cowboy rides the range to help track wolves
• Furore over black-backed jackal and maintaining natural balance in South Africa

Ursidae

• Mine’s grizzly study suggests higher population numbers
• Grizzly in Yellowstone maulings was stressed and had parasites
• The horror behind bear bile farming- as many as 13,000 Asiatic black bears are suffering
• Grizzly bear research wins award
• Two more bears found dead in Yellowstone National Park
• Stranded tolar bears threaten migratory birds
• Ten or more black bears found guarding pot farm

Mustelidae

• Sea otter deaths in California caused by great white sharks
• A coast-to-coast search across northern England aims to track down the pine marten

Procyonidae

• Rabid raccoon captured in Brunswick County, NC

Viverridae

• Rare Hose’s civet, one of the least known carnivores, has been found in Sarawak

In Yosemite National Park, California, American black bears are a serious threat to cars. On most nights, they patrol the campground to browse the scents in the parking lot.

Three workers with the US Department of Agriculture have published a study in the Journal of Mammalogy after they analyzed the bear break in data from 2001 to 2007, when the bears had vandalized over 1000 vehicles.

Minivans were first or second on the hit list, despite the fact they represented only a small fraction of the automobiles present in the parking lots. For the years 2004 and 2005, the vans made up only 7 percent of parked vehicles, but nearly 30 percent of them were looted. No other vehicle was raided so disproportionately.

While it’s impossible to know why the bears choose these vehicles, we can make a few assumptions.

Minivans are family cars designed for those with babies and young children. More children generally means more crumbs, and possibly stored food items to keep the kids happy. Manna for a bear’s nose!

Black bears quickly learn how to maximize food resources in any new habitat as a matter of survival. Over time, the bears in the park have probably learned to associate the minivans with greater potential reward, and are just foraging selectively as they do in the wild.

The energy costs of opening these roaming pantries are significant. It takes a lot of work for the bear to tear off doors and rip out seats. They must be confident the effort will be worth it.

Do the minivans really contain more food, or are they just easier for the bears to break into?

It would be very interesting to see a further study on why the bears prefer these vehicles. If they’re chosen because they’re easier to break into, both the auto makers and the families that purchase them might be interested.

My money is on the food hoards. Anyone who has travelled with small children knows how much food you have to take along. Bears aren’t going to go through all that physical work unless they’re pretty sure of a reward, and it seems to me a minivan is a logical place to look for a variety of tasty treats.