BLACK BEAR PREDATION ON MOOSE CALVES IN HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE VERSUS MARGINAL MOOSE HABITATS ON THE KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
High rates of predation on moose (Alces alces) calves by black bears (Ursus americanus) in the 1947 burn on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, generated the hypothesis that since black bear density was related to the food resource they would be more abundant in older forests and predation rates on moose calves would therefore be higher. This hypothesis was tested by conducting a moose calf mortality study in the “recent” 1969 burn to compare with mortality rates previously obtained in the “older” 1947 burn, also on the Kenai Peninsula. Predation rates by black bears on moose calves in the 1969 burn (35%) were essentially the same as those in the 1947 burn (34%) and we thereby rejected the hypothesis. Factors causing the rejection of the hypothesis are discussed. We detected no predation bias on the sex of calves or for twins versus single calves. We concluded that under these circumstances predation rates were independent of moose calf density in this study. Natural abandonment of 3 calves was witnessed.
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