Sources and Patterns of Black Bear Mortality in Louisiana
Louisiana black bears (Ursus americanus luteolus) are protected under the Endangered Species Act and live in 3 isolated geographic areas thought to encompass nearly all breeding individuals for that subspecies. Management strategies to recover these bears continue to evolve without knowledge of any differences in demographic patterns among these populations. We summarized data on Louisiana black bear deaths to see if any evidence existed for differences in mortality patterns among the 3 subpopulations. Since June 1992, 34 of 75 (45±6 [SE]%) verified losses (72 deaths plus 3 live removals)...
