Poaching regulates the legally hunted wolf population in Finland

摘要: Abstract Poaching may threaten population viability and can occur in both non-harvested legally harvested populations. Telemetry facilitates the determination of fates individual animals, resultant mortality scenarios be used to evaluate role poaching changes. Finland's hunted wolf ( Canis lupus ) fluctuated between 100 300 animals during 1998–2016, this cannot explained by rates legal hunting other known mortalities alone. We examined created different based on multi-source information among 130 collared wolves. has been primary cause death followed hunting. calculated survival rate cause-specific risk; wolves whose were unknown censored. As one event alternatives (unknown fate or cause), censoring was related social status; breeding adults more often poached, whereas dispersers two sets procedure (random non-random), for sets, we 4 ranging from high no decreasing confidence data. Annual ranged 0.11–0.24 (high scenario) 0.43–0.60 (no poaching); dropped mid-winter. The varied years less than 0.09–0.13 up 0.31–0.43. consider a regulatory factor; it focused seemed escalate as response increased size. conclude that tolerance carnivores promoted alone, so comprehensive conservation efforts are needed.