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Where have all the young wolves gone? Traffic and cryptic mortality create a wolf population sink in Denmark and northernmost Germany

  • 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 persecutorsLarge 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.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author:Peter SundeORCiD, Sebastian Collet, Carsten Nowak, Philip Francis Thomsen, Michael Møller Hansen, Björn Schulz, Jens Matzen, Frank-Uwe Michler, Christina Vedel-Smith, Kent Olsen
URN:urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-2565
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12812
ISSN:1755-263X
Parent Title (English):Conservation Letters
Publisher:Wiley
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of Completion:2021
Date of Publication (online):2022/03/23
Date of first Publication:2021/05/17
Publishing Institution:Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde
Release Date:2023/06/06
Tag:Canis lupus; Denmark; Genetic wildlife monitoring; Germany; Human-wildlife conflict; Illegal killings; Large carnivores; Poaching; Recolonization; Roadkills; Source-sink
Volume:14
Issue:5
Article Number:e12812
Page Number:10
Institutions / Departments:Fachbereich Wald und Umwelt
open_access (DINI-Set):open_access
University Bibliography:University Bibliography
Zweitveröffentlichung
Peer-Review / Nicht ermittelbar
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - CC BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International
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