Human dimensions of black bears, caribou and coyotes on the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador

Abstract

The overall purpose of this human dimension in wildlife management study is to understand the attitudes of the urban and rural general public toward black bears, caribou, and coyotes on the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador. Data was collected through a mail-out questionnaire to a representative sample of rural (n=396) and urban (n-390) residents. Attitudes toward caribou were the most positive and attitudes toward black bears were relatively positive. Residents held negative attitudes toward coyotes with many expressing no future generation or existence values for the animal. These negative attitudes were linked to fear and perceptions of impact coyotes have on caribou, small game and livestock. Differences in strength of attitudes did exist between rural and urban residents. This research documents the challenges wildlife managers face when setting policy actions regarding predators and provides an example of managing along the conflict-coexistence continuum.