Perspectives on wildlife agency mange management in black bears and other carnivores

Abstract

Sarcoptic mange is an emerging parasitic disease affecting North American black bears (Ursus americanus) and has been increasingly reported since the early 1990s. As mange spreads into naive bear populations, wildlife managers face challenges related to surveillance, interagency coordination, and stakeholder expectations. In 2023, we surveyed 35 state and federal wildlife agency personnel and academic partners to assess management practices for mange, barriers to effective interventions, and how agencies engage with the public and key stakeholders. Respondents represented 17 states, 7 with and 10 without reports of sarcoptic mange in black bears, with over half (51.4%) working in their current institution for more than 10 years. Respondents generally agreed on dispatching severely affected wildlife (97.1%) and monitoring mild to moderate cases. Although respondents supported stakeholder and public reporting of mange cases (71.4%), they opposed stakeholder and public intervention in mange management (e.g., treatment, handling, relocation). Fewer than half of respondents (45.7%) indicated that mange reports are entered into a formal dataset, limiting long-term surveillance and decision-making. Our study highlights the need for a unified multi-state communication framework to increase public support for agency management actions, and the importance of implementing a centralized mange data repository to enhance long-term surveillance of mange and improve response efforts.