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1 April 2005 DISEASES AND MORTALITY IN FREE-RANGING BROWN BEAR (URSUS ARCTOS), GRAY WOLF (CANIS LUPUS), AND WOLVERINE (GULO GULO) IN SWEDEN
Torsten Mörner, Hanna Eriksson, Caroline Bröjer, Kristina Nilsson, Henrik Uhlhorn, Erik Ågren, Carl Hård af Segerstad, Désirée S. Jansson, Dolores Gavier-Widén
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Ninety-eight brown bears (Ursus arctos), 20 gray wolves (Canis lupus), and 27 wolverines (Gulo gulo), all free-ranging, were submitted to the National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden, during 1987–2001 for investigation of diseases and causes of mortality. The most common cause of natural death in brown bears was infanticide. Infanticide also was observed in wolverines but not in wolves. Traumatic injuries, originating from road or railway accidents, were the most common cause of death in wolves and occurred occasionally in brown bears. Most wolverines were submitted as forensic cases in which illegal hunting/poaching was suspected. Sarcoptic mange was observed in several wolves but not in brown bears or wolverines. Sarcoptic mange most likely was acquired from infected red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) that were killed by wolves. Other parasites and infectious diseases were only found sporadically.

Mörner, Eriksson, Bröjer, Nilsson, Uhlhorn, Ågren, Segerstad, Jansson, and Gavier-Widén: DISEASES AND MORTALITY IN FREE-RANGING BROWN BEAR (URSUS ARCTOS), GRAY WOLF (CANIS LUPUS), AND WOLVERINE (GULO GULO) IN SWEDEN
Torsten Mörner, Hanna Eriksson, Caroline Bröjer, Kristina Nilsson, Henrik Uhlhorn, Erik Ågren, Carl Hård af Segerstad, Désirée S. Jansson, and Dolores Gavier-Widén "DISEASES AND MORTALITY IN FREE-RANGING BROWN BEAR (URSUS ARCTOS), GRAY WOLF (CANIS LUPUS), AND WOLVERINE (GULO GULO) IN SWEDEN," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 41(2), 298-303, (1 April 2005). https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-41.2.298
Received: 13 November 2002; Published: 1 April 2005
KEYWORDS
brown bear
Canis lupus
diseases
forensic medicine
Gulo gulo
infanticide
mange
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