Behavioural response of eastern wolves (Canis lycaon) to disturbance at homesites and its effects on pup survival

Abstract

Human disturbance at wolf dens and rendezvous sites (homesites) may have direct effects on pup survival and could result in the alteration of homesite-use characteristics. During a demographic study of eastern wolves (Canis lycaon) in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, we entered active homesites to tag pups with VHF radio transmitters. Homesite attendance and pup survival data collected in 2003-2005 were used to determine (i) the immediate response of wolves to disturbance at homesites, (ii) whether distance moved between homesites was influenced by disturbance, (iii) if pup survival was compromised by researcher disturbance, and (iv) whether reuse in subsequent years differed between disturbed and undisturbed den sites. Packs tended to relocate pups after a disturbance, though we did not detect a difference in distances travelled between natural homesite shifts and those following disturbance. Disturbed homesites were reused in following years at a similar frequency as undisturbed homesites (6 of 15 vs. 8 of 22 homesites, respectively). Although postcapture mortality risk was slightly elevated for pups, we could not detect long-term effects of disturbance. This resilience to disturbance, and our documentation of effective techniques for radio-tagging young pups, demonstrate that research on wolf pup demography can be performed effectively without causing unacceptable negative impacts on wolf behaviour or mortality.Résumé : La perturbation par les humains des terriers et des lieux de rencontre (de résidence) des loups peut avoir des effets directs sur la survie des louveteaux et peut entraîner une altération des caractéristiques d'utilisation de ces lieux de résidence. Au cours d'une étude démographique des loups de l'est (Canis lycaon) au parc provincial Algonquin en Ontario, nous avons pénétré dans des lieux de résidence occupés par les loups afin de munir des louveteaux de transmetteurs radio VHF. Les données sur l'utilisation des lieux de résidence et sur la survie des louveteaux récoltées en 2003-2005 nous ont servi (i) à déterminer la réaction immédiate des loups à la perturbation de leurs lieux de résidence, (ii) à connaître l'influence de la perturbation sur la distance de déménagement entre les lieux de résidence, (iii) à savoir si la perturbation causée par les chercheurs compromet la survie des louveteaux et (iv) à découvrir si l'utilisation répétée du site durant les années subséquentes différait entre les sites des terriers perturbés et non perturbés. Après une perturbation, les meutes ont tendance à déplacer les louveteaux, bien que nous soyons incapables de détecter une différence dans les distances parcourues lors de changements naturels de lieu de résidence et les déplacements consécutifs à une perturbation. Les lieux de rési-dence perturbés sont réutilisés les années subséquentes à une même fréquence que les sites non perturbés (respectivement 6 de 15 sites et 8 de 22 sites). Bien que le risque de mortalité après la capture soit légèrement accru chez les louveteaux, nous ne décelons aucun effe...

Lack of Impact of Den Interference on Neonatal Red Wolves

“…The 2-week interval between visits was considered sufficiently long to observe negative impacts directly attributable to pup-handling protocols, and this assumption is supported by recent work by Argue et al (2008). Of the possible impacts, only infections from transponder placement were observed in our study and in only one den, involving 2 of 4 pups.…”

“…Assessments of the impact of handling neonates have been published for some mammals (Byers 1997, Dorney and Rusch 1953, Franklin and Johnson 1994, Henderson and Johanos 1988, White et al 1972), but up until recently only anecdotal information guided management decisions for many canid species. In particular, the impact of human interference on wolf maternal behavior is controversial, with earlier work suggesting higher risk (Chapman 1979, Meck 1970, Smith 1998, Thiel et al 1998 relative to recent work reporting relatively low risk of disturbance of dens of Canis lupus L. (Grey Wolf; Frame et al 2007, Habib andKumar 2007) and Canis lupus lycaon Schreber (Eastern Wolf; Argue et al 2008). The potential benefits of early assessment and marking of Canis lupus rufus Audubon and Bachman (Red Wolf) pups are high considering the need to manage introgression of Coyote genes, a major threat to Red Wolf recovery (Kelly 2000, Kelly et al 1999, US Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 1989.…”

Behavioural responses to human‐induced environmental change

“…An example of the first possibility, maladaptive changes, is increased vigilance that incurs no fitness advantages in the form of increased survival, but reduces the time spent on other fitness‐enhancing activities, such as foraging or parental care (i.e. Andersen, Linnell & Langvatn, 1996; Argue, Mills & Patterson, 2008). For instance, Amur tigers ( Panthera tigris altaica ) that hunt near roads with much human disturbance abandon their kills and eat less meat than tigers hunting in areas undisturbed by humans (Kerley et al , 2002).…”

Hierarchical, multi‐grain rendezvous site selection by wolves in southern Italy

“…During the pup rearing season, centripetal space use patterns by wolves about rendezvous sites (Demma and Mech , Ruprecht et al ) may expose the pack to increased risk due to human activity (Jędrzejewska et al , Kaartinen et al , Ahmadi et al , Iliopoulos et al ). Although wolves at rendezvous sites have been reported to be tolerant and resilient to various levels of non‐lethal human disturbance (Thiel et al , Frame et al , Argue et al ), this may not be so where human activity and disturbance had long been associated with increased risk of persecution (Theuerkauf et al , Kaartinen et al , Ahmadi et al , Iliopoulos et al ). In these conditions, factors enhancing concealment and segregation from humans should influence where wolves locate rendezvous sites.…”