Coyote (Canis latrans) occurrence relative to human use on Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, Alberta
Abstract
Although coyote (Canis latrans) attacks in Canada are rare, they tend to fuel
lethal action. However, killing coyotes is ineffective for reducing long-term conflict and
is ecologically destructive. Thus, coexistence is crucial. Understanding how humans and
coyotes share the landscape is important to help mitigate conflict. I explored human-coyote co-occurrence in Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, Alberta between June 2014 and June 2015. Cameras and scat surveys collected data on high and low human use trails. These two methods detected coyote occurrence equally on both trail types as well as across seasons. On all trail types coyote occurrence was greatest during the winter (versus fall and summer), dispersal season (versus the weaning season) and nighttime and daytime (versus the twilight periods). Coyote occurrence significantly decreased on trails when cyclists, vehicles and prey were present. In contrast, coyote occurrence increased when coyote(s) used trails within the past day.
Description
Keywords
Geography, Ecology
Citation
Lantz, J. (2016). Coyote (Canis latrans) occurrence relative to human use on Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, Alberta (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25479