TY - JOUR A1 - Eriksen, Ane A1 - Versluijs, Erik A1 - Fuchs, Boris A1 - Zimmermann, Barbara A1 - Wabakken, Petter A1 - Ordiz, Andrés A1 - Sunde, Peter A1 - Wikenros, Camilla A1 - Sand, Håkan A1 - Gillich, Benjamin A1 - Michler, Frank A1 - Nordli, Kristoffer A1 - Carricondo-Sanchez, David A1 - Gorini, Lucrezia A1 - Rieger, Siegfried T1 - A Standardized Method for Experimental Human Approach Trials on Wild Wolves JF - Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution N2 - As wolves recolonize areas of Europe ranging from moderate to high anthropogenic impact, fear of wolves is a recurring source of conflict. Shared tools for evaluating wolf responses to humans, and comparing such responses across their range, can be valuable. Experiments in which humans approach wild wolves can increase our understanding of how wolves respond to humans, facilitating human-wolf coexistence. We have developed the first standardized protocol for evaluating wolf responses to approaching humans using high-resolution GPS data, and tested it on wild wolves. We present a field protocol for experimentally approaching GPS-collared wolves, a descriptive comparison of two statistical methods for detecting a measurable flight response, a tutorial for identifying wolf flight initiation and resettling positions, and an evaluation of the method when reducing GPS positioning frequency. The field protocol, a data collection form, and the tutorial with R code for extracting flight parameters are provided. This protocol will facilitate studies of wolf responses to approaching humans, applicable at a local, national, and international level. Data compiled in a standardized way from multiple study areas can be used to quantify the variation in wolf responses to humans within and between populations, and in relation to predictors such as social status, landscape factors, or human population density, and to establish a baseline distribution of wolf response patterns given a number of known predictors. The variation in wolf responses can be used to assess the degree to which results can be generalized to areas where GPS studies are not feasible, e.g., for predicting the range of likely wolf behaviors, assessing the likelihood of wolf-human encounters, and complementing existing tools for evaluating reports of bold wolves. Showing how wolves respond to human encounters should help demystify the behavior of wild wolves toward humans in their shared habitat. KW - carnivores KW - changepoint analysis KW - field experiments KW - flight initiation distance (FID) KW - upper control limit (UCL) KW - wildlife-human interaction Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-2788 SN - 2296-701X N1 - The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.793307/full#supplementary-material VL - 10 PB - Frontiers Media S.A. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sunde, Peter A1 - Collet, Sebastian A1 - Nowak, Carsten A1 - Thomsen, Philip Francis A1 - Møller Hansen, Michael A1 - Schulz, Björn A1 - Matzen, Jens A1 - Michler, Frank-Uwe A1 - Vedel-Smith, Christina A1 - Olsen, Kent T1 - Where have all the young wolves gone? Traffic and cryptic mortality create a wolf population sink in Denmark and northernmost Germany JF - Conservation Letters N2 - Large carnivores are currently recolonizing Europe following legal protection, but increased mortality in landscapes highly impacted by humans may limit further population expansion. We analyzed mortality and disappearance rates of 35 wolves (of which three emigrated, nine died and 14 disappeared by 1 January 2020) by genetic monitoring in the heavily cultivated and densely populated Jutland peninsula (Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein, Germany). Annual traffic kill rate estimates ranged from 0.37 (95% CI: 0.11–0.85) to 0.78 (0.51–0.96) in the German part, equivalent to 0.08 (0.02–0.29)–0.25 (0.13–0.46) for the entire region, in the absence of any registered Danish roadkills. In Denmark, annual mortality rate estimates ranged from 0.46 (0.29–0.67) to 0.52 (0.35–0.71), predominantly from cryptic mortality. Despite successful reproductions, we conclude the region is a wolf population sink, primarily driven by cryptic mortality, most likely illegal killing. We hypothesize that frequent encounters between wolves and wolf-averse persecutors in cultivated landscapes may cause unsustainably high mortality rates despite the majority of hunters respecting protection laws. KW - Canis lupus KW - Denmark KW - Genetic wildlife monitoring KW - Germany KW - Human-wildlife conflict KW - Illegal killings KW - Large carnivores KW - Poaching KW - Recolonization KW - Roadkills KW - Source-sink Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-2565 SN - 1755-263X VL - 14 IS - 5 PB - Wiley ER -