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Faculty of Graduate Studies

Emma Bialobzyski

  • B.Sc. (University of Victoria, 2022)
Notice of the Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Master of Science

Topic

Survival of Rehabilitated Black Bears in Central British Columbia

Department of Geography

Date & location

  • Friday, August 21, 2026
  • 10:00 A.M.
  • David Turpin Building, Room B215

Examining Committee

Supervisory Committee

  • Dr. Chris Darimont, Department of Geography, University of Victoria (Supervisor)
  • Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of British Columbia Okanagan (Outside Member)

External Examiner

  • Dr. Karine Pigeon, Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Government of BC

Chair of Oral Examination

  • Dr. Laura Parisi, Department of Gender Studies, UVic

Abstract

The outcomes for wildlife released following rehabilitation are rarely documented, which restricts the evidentiary basis to inform care, release, and management strategies. In British Columbia (BC), orphaned black bear cubs have been rescued and reared in human care for decades, but survival rates and any correlates of mortality are unknown. This knowledge gap and the apparent increase in orphaned bears warrant an assessment of rehabilitation outcomes to improve survival. In spring of 2024, 41 rehabilitated yearlings were released with GPS collars to mixed-use landscapes of BC. Our analysis identified which individual traits (e.g. mass, sex) and post-release metrics (e.g. development, road density in home range) influenced survival through the first 500 days following release. Survival was 0.69 (95% CI= 0.56 – 0.86), consistent with published estimates of wild and rehabilitated yearlings elsewhere and affected only by post-release metrics. Specifically, we found that with greater proportion of development in the home range and greater mean daily displacements, bears were less likely to survive. 10.3% (n = 4) of bears monitored engaged in conflict behaviour over the monitoring period. Results suggest bears of various mass and sex have equivalent survival, but all face risk when movements are pronounced across disturbed landscapes, thereby informing rehabilitation and management practices in BC and beyond.

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