A retrospective review was done of traumatic and osseous lesions in 241 wolves (Canis lupus) and 316 coyotes (Canis latrans) necropsied at the University of Saskatchewan between 1971 and 1990. Most lesions were the result of interspecific conflict. The most frequently occurring lesion in wolves was fracture of one or more bones, primarily ribs. Lesions were healed in most cases and appeared to ...

Gray wolves {Canis lupus) recolonized the Bow Valley of Banff National Park in the mid-1980s after a 30-year absence. Wolves recolonized one zone of the Bow Valley in 1985 and another in 1991, but human activity ex­ cluded wolves from a third zone throughout the study. Elk (Cervus elaphus) are the primary prey of wolves in Banff National Park. We studied the effects of wolf predation, snow dept...

Genetic rescue, in which the introduction of one or more unrelated individuals into an inbred population results in the reduction of detrimental genetic effects and an increase in one or more vital rates, is a potentially important management tool for mitigating adverse effects of inbreeding. We used molecular techniques to document the consequences of a male wolf (Canis lupus) that immigrated,...

The extinct marsupial thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) and placental grey wolf (Canis lupus) are commonly presented as an iconic example of convergence. However, various analyses suggest distinctly different behaviours and specialization towards either relatively small or large prey in the thylacine, bringing the degree of apparent convergence into question. Here we apply a powerful engineer...

Finland has struggled with formulating and implementing policies regarding the national grey wolf (Canis lupus) population. It seems that after major institutional adjustments undertaken to improve wolf protection, the wolf population has, in fact, decreased. This calls for an explanation. My approach to the question of institutional fit builds upon classical institutional economics and pragmat...

We investigated reproduction and mortality of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in the Białowieża Primeval Forest (eastern Poland). The species invaded the forest in 1955 and is more common than native species of medium-sized carnivores. The mean litter size of raccoon dogs, based on placental scars and foetuses was 8.4 (SD = 2.0). Mortality of pups was 61% during the first three months f...

The difficulty of obtaining pedigrees for wild populations has hampered the possibility of demonstrating inbreeding depression in nature. In a small, naturally restored, wild population of grey wolves in Scandinavia, founded in 1983, we constructed a pedigree for 24 of the 28 breeding pairs established in the period 1983-2002. Ancestry for the breeding animals was determined through a combinati...

Leptospirosis is a worldwide-spread zoonosis causing disease and death in dogs humans. A Leptospiral infection has been recorded several wild carnivore species Europe, but tissue pathological changes were not commonly described. The Grey wolf (Canis lupus) expanding its distribution range north-eastern Italy during the last decade. young wolf, representing first individual handled region, was f...

22 Animals that scavenge in and around human localities need to utilize a broad range of 23 resources. Preference for any one kind of food, under such circumstances, might be 24 inefficient. Indian free-ranging dogs, Canis lupus familiaris are scavengers that are heavily 25 dependent on humans for sustaining their omnivorous diet. The current study suggests that 26 because of evolutionary load,...