Assessing reproduction in wolverines (Gulo gulo): Fecal progesterone levels in zoo and wild females

Bateman, Helen L.; McCaw, Laura K.; Seguin, Jacob L.; Swanson, William F.; Rivas, Anne E.; Boonstra, Rudy; Mastromonaco, Gabriela F.; Scrafford, Matthew A.

doi:10.1016/j.therwi.2023.100054

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 60 publications

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“…Alternative methods to confirm same-season reproduction would be to set • up a run pole and remote camera (Magoun et al 2011) in the denning area but a sufficient distance (> 2 km) from the suspected den site, to document productivity (Scrafford & Ray 2022). Additionally, some success has occurred using scat to assess reproduction status of wolverine, provided scat is collected between December and February (Bateman et al 2023). While radiotelemetry may be the most effective way to discover new den sites (Scrafford & Ray 2022), it requires animal capture, long-term monitoring effort, and expense that may not be realistic for the tenure application process.…”

Section: Jemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidelines for Winter Recreation near Wolverine Dens in Montane Western North America

Hausleitner,

Kortello,

Barrueto

et al. 2024

JEM

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Wolverine den in snowy areas with boulders or woody debris at or below tree line in montane western North America. They have naturally low reproductive rates, a fidelity to denning areas, and a sensitivity to human presence during denning. The goal was to synthesize existing ecological information for denning wolverine and identify risks from human presence in the categories of timing, distance, footprint, pattern of use, and frequency of use. The authors suggest commercial tenure holders and private users keep recreation in the low-risk category to minimize disturbance on denning females. Denning area surveys should be conducted prior to tenure application or renewals and dens can be identified by a concentration of tracks over more than three weeks from January 15 to May 15. Recreation should be restricted within a 5-km radius of confirmed dens during this window. Best practices include limiting the number of groups and concentrating movement on existing linear features as wolverine are sensitive to disturbance at a very low intensity of use and are at greatest risk when disturbances are dispersed and unpredictable.

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Section: Jemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidelines for Winter Recreation near Wolverine Dens in Montane Western North America

Hausleitner,

Kortello,

Barrueto

et al. 2024

JEM

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Wolverine density, survival, and population trends in the Canadian boreal forest

Scrafford,

Seguin,

McCaw

et al. 2024

J Wildl Manag

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There is limited information available on wolverine (Gulo gulo) population density and trends in the boreal forest of North America. We estimated wolverine density using spatial capture‐recapture methods across 2 boreal forest study areas in Red Lake, Ontario (26,568 km2) and Rainbow Lake, Alberta (19,084 km2), Canada. We also used radio‐telemetry data to estimate annual survival of adult and sub‐adult wolverines and evaluated population trends with a stage‐based matrix model. We used an array of run poles and live traps to detect wolverines. In Red Lake over 3 winter field seasons (2019–2022), we detected 56 individual wolverines (17 females, 32 males, and 7 unknown sex), and in Rainbow Lake over 2 field seasons (2014–2016), we detected 48 individuals (19 females, 18 males, and 11 of unknown sex). Average densities in Red Lake and Rainbow Lake were 3.64 and 6.74 wolverines/1,000 km2, respectively. Adults and sub‐adults occurred at equal abundance. Spring snow cover, roads, and industrial developments were not associated with spatial patterns of wolverine density. Most deaths occurred near roads; wolverines were killed in fur traps set along roads, by wolves using roads to travel, and by vehicles. The largest source of death was from incidental (n = 6 in Red Lake) or licensed fur trapping (n = 8 in Rainbow Lake) and we report 8 injuries from fur trapping sets. Red Lake survival estimates for adults (0.87) and sub‐adults (0.86) contributed to a stable population trend. Rainbow Lake survival estimates for adults (0.66) and sub‐adults (0.50) contributed to a declining population trend based on a relatively low sample of radio‐days. Red Lake and Rainbow Lake combined survival estimates for adults (0.77) and sub‐adults (0.73) also contributed to a declining population trend. Our survival and population modeling suggests that human‐caused mortality is a significant risk to these populations. Our results can be applied to wolverine status assessments and used as benchmarks for future monitoring. Wolverine population stability or growth might be achieved by reducing incidental trapping deaths or injury and hindering human access to wolverine habitats through decommissioning or limiting development of industrial roads or other anthropogenic linear features.

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Special issue: Biomarkers of reproductive health in wildlife

Fanson,

Brown,

Keeley

et al. 2024

Theriogenology Wild

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Assessing reproduction in wolverines (Gulo gulo): Fecal progesterone levels in zoo and wild females

Cited by 3 publications

References 60 publications

Guidelines for Winter Recreation near Wolverine Dens in Montane Western North America

Guidelines for Winter Recreation near Wolverine Dens in Montane Western North America

Wolverine density, survival, and population trends in the Canadian boreal forest

Special issue: Biomarkers of reproductive health in wildlife

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