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Abstract
Due to observed interactions between Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) during field work on Edgeøya, Svalbard, we measured response distances for reindeer from a stalking polar bear and improvised five approaches from a person disguised as a polar bear for comparison with human encounters. The alert, flight initiation and escape distances were 1.6, 2.5 and 2.3 times longer, respectively, when Svalbard reindeer were encountered by a person disguised as a polar bear compared to a person in dark hiking gear. Population increase of polar bears on Svalbard and decrease in sea-ice cover in the Arctic region during summer probably results in more frequent interactions with reindeer on the archipelago. Similar reindeer response behavior from encounters with a polar bear and persons disguised as polar bears indicate a predator-prey relationship between the two species on Edgeøya.
Acknowledgments
We thank the Governor on Svalbard for the necessary landing allowances on Edgeøya, The Norwegian Polar Institute for rent of necessary field equipment, M. Kardel and K. Reimers Kardel for field assistance, D. T. Alemu for statistical support, T. Severinsen for technical support, and J. E. Colman for linguistic support. Financial support was provided from The Norwegian Science Foundation, The Norwegian Polar Institute, and Framkomiteens Polarfond. A special thank to C. Bonenfant, V. B. Meyer-Rochow, S. C. Amstrup, and D. T. Blumstein for their constructive criticism of a previous version of the manuscript.