Understanding urban white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) movement and related social and ecological considerations for management
| dc.contributor.author | McCance, Erin C. | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Campbell, Michael (Natural Resources Institute) Riewe, Rick (Biological Sciences) Walker, David (Environment & Geography) Nielsen, Clayton (Southern Illinois University) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Baydack, Richard (Environment & Geography) | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2014-05-09T15:24:49Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2014-05-09T15:24:49Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2014-05-09 | |
| dc.degree.discipline | Environment and Geography | en_US |
| dc.degree.level | Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | White-tailed deer (WTD) (Odocoileus virginianus) were studied within the Greater Winnipeg Area (GWA) to investigate urban deer home range size, habitat use, and seasonal movement patterns. A comparative analysis was also completed in Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) in order to assess the similarities and differences between urban and rural deer spatial and temporal movement patterns. The study revealed differences in the spatial land use patterns of these two cohorts with substantially smaller urban WTD monthly and seasonal home range sizes than in RMNP. Building on the findings derived from the animal-borne locational data, an investigation into the human social dynamics associated with the urban deer herd indicated that human behavior heavily influences urban deer movement. Using a critical case study approach, the research investigated the wildlife value orientations and the emotional dispositions associated with the human behavior of intentionally supplying artificial food sources for deer. The spatial and temporal occurrences of urban deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) and the factors associated with high risk DVC roadways were not random, and human social behavior is correlated to the frequency and location of DVC occurrences in the GWA. This research identifies management strategies to successfully mitigate human-wildlife conflict and the associated human-human conflict within the GWA, as well as the need for, and challenges associated with, an integrated approach to urban wildlife management. | en_US |
| dc.description.note | May 2014 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/23573 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_US |
| dc.rights | open access | en_US |
| dc.subject | Urban | en_US |
| dc.subject | deer | en_US |
| dc.subject | management | en_US |
| dc.subject | vehicle | en_US |
| dc.subject | collisions | en_US |
| dc.subject | human | en_US |
| dc.subject | dimensions | en_US |
| dc.subject | movement | en_US |
| dc.subject | ecology | en_US |
| dc.subject | biology | en_US |
| dc.subject | animal | en_US |
| dc.subject | geographies | en_US |
| dc.title | Understanding urban white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) movement and related social and ecological considerations for management | en_US |
| dc.type | doctoral thesis | en_US |