New threats in the recovery of large carnivores inhabiting human-modified landscapes: the case of the Cantabrian brown bear (Ursus arctos) ...

• Main Authors: Balseiro, Ana, Herrero-García, Gloria, García Marín, Juan Francisco, Balsera, Ramón, Monasterio, Juana María, Cubero, David, de Pedro, Gabriel, Oleaga, Álvaro, García-Rodríguez, Alberto, Espinoza, Israel, Rabanal, Benjamín, Aduriz, Gorka, Tuñón, José, Gortázar, Christian, Royo, Luis José
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: figshare 2024
• Subjects: Medicine; Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified; Ecology; FOS: Biological sciences; Sociology; FOS: Sociology; Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified; Cancer; Science Policy; Infectious Diseases; FOS: Health sciences; Computational Biology; Ursus arctos
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.7089821; https://springernature.figshare.com/collections/New_threats_in_the_recovery_of_large_carnivores_inhabiting_human-modified_landscapes_the_case_of_the_Cantabrian_brown_bear_Ursus_arctos_/7089821

Abstract Understanding mortality causes is important for the conservation of endangered species, especially in small and isolated populations inhabiting anthropized landscapes where both natural and human-caused mortality may hinder the conservation of these species. We investigated the mortality causes of 53 free-ranging brown bears (Ursus arctos) found dead between 1998 and 2023 in the Cantabrian Mountains (northwestern Spain), a highly human-modified region where bears are currently recovering after being critically threatened in the last century. We detected natural traumatic injuries in 52.63% and infectious diseases in 39.47% of the 38 bears for which the mortality causes were registered, with 21.05% of these cases presenting signs of both infectious diseases and traumas. More specifically, almost 30% of the bears died during or after intraspecific fights, including sexually selected infanticide (10.53%). In addition, primary infectious diseases such as infectious canine hepatitis, distemper, ...