Capture, Anesthesia, and Disturbance of Free-Ranging Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) during Hibernation

Capture, Anesthesia, and Disturbance of Free-Ranging Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) during Hibernation

We conducted thirteen immobilizations of previously collared hibernating two- to four-year-old brown bears (Ursus arctos) weighing 21-66 kg in central Sweden in winter 2010 and 2011 for comparative physiology research. Here we report, for the first time, an effective protocol for the capture and anesthesia of free-ranging brown bears during hibernation and an assessment of the disturbance the c...

Treatment of hypoxemia during anesthesia of brown bears (Ursus arctos).

This study assessed whether arterial oxygenation could be increased by treatment with intranasal oxygen supplementation in brown bears (Ursus arctos) with hypoxemia during anesthesia with medetomidine-zolazepam-tiletamine. Arterial blood samples were collected anaerobically from the femoral artery before and during oxygen supplementation. An oxygen flow rate of 2-5 L/min administered intranasal...

Comparison of platelet aggregation during hibernation and non-hibernation in Scandinavian brown bears (Ursus arctos)

Metabolic Changes in Summer Active and Anuric Hibernating Free-Ranging Brown Bears (Ursus arctos)

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) hibernates for 5 to 6 months each winter and during this time ingests no food or water and remains anuric and inactive. Despite these extreme conditions, bears do not develop azotemia and preserve their muscle and bone strength. To date most renal studies have been limited to small numbers of bears, often in captive environments. Sixteen free-ranging bears were dar...

Dental and periodontal health in free-ranging Swedish brown bears (Ursus arctos).

Dental data from 22 Swedish brown bears (Ursus arctos) were collected during April and May 2008, during the annual capture of free-ranging brown bears in Dalarna County, Sweden by the Scandinavian Brown Bear Research Project. The bears were of different genders and ages. All animals were weighed and subjected to physical examination and all were found to be in good condition. The oral cavity wa...