Wolf Predation on Caribou: The Nelchina Herd Case History
Van Ballenberghe V. 1985. Wolf Predation on Caribou: The Nelchina Herd Case History. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 49(3):711-720
The Nelchina caribou (Rangifer tarandus) herd of south-central Alaska erupted, crashed, and increased again during the period 1950-81. Annual survival of calves, an important determinant of populations trends, was high during periods of increase but low when the herd peaked and during some years of the decline. Poor survival of calves and adults, the former related to winter severity, the latter due to hunting mortality, contributed importantly to the decline. It is unlikely that gray wolf (Canis lupus) control triggered the eruption, nor did wolf predation significantly reduce calf survival at the herd's peak. Predation did not prevent caribou from increasing after the crash; despite a peak in wolf numbers and a three-fold decline in prey biomass, ungulate:wolf ratios were still too high for predation to have much impact. Ingress and egress were unimportant in the population dynamics in this herd.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Van Ballenberghe, Victor
- Units
- CAKN , DENA , GLAC , WRST
- Keywords
- Alces alces, Canis lupus, Copper River Basin, cycling, Hunting, Management, Ovis dalli, Population, Predation, Rangifer tarandus, Ursus arctos