Camera Traps on Wildlife Crossing Structures as a Tool in Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) Management - Five-Years Monitoring of Wolf Abundance Trends in Croatia

摘要: The conservation of gray wolf (Canis lupus) and its coexistence with humans presents a challenge requires continuous monitoring management efforts. One the non-invasive methods that produces high-quality datasets is camera trapping. We present novel approach where traps are positioned on wildlife crossing structures channel animals, thereby increasing trapping success cost-efficiency method. In this way we have followed abundance trends five packs whose home ranges intersected by motorway which spans throughout distribution range in Croatia. During five-year six green bridges recorded 28 250 camera-events, 132 wolves. Four viaducts were monitored for two years, recording 4914 185 detected negative trend Croatian since 2011, especially severe northern part study area. Further, pinpointed legal cull as probable major influence pack (linear regression, r2 > 0.75, P < 0.05). Using same did not find evidence impact wolves prey populations, both wild ungulates livestock. encourage strict protection Croatia until there more data proving population stability. conclusion, quantitative methods, such one presented here, should be used much possible when assessing trends.