Black Bears - The black bear (Ursus americanus) ranges throughout the park, principally in the lodgepole and ponderosa pine forests. They are typically found in open meadows and near streams where they can obtain their food supply of berries, nuts, roots, insects, small game, and fish.

Prior to 1973, a few black bears were becoming pests in visitor-use areas of the park. Open dumps were closed and trash removed to areas outside of the park. Bear-proof garbage cans were installed and stubborn nuisance bears were trapped and transplanted to other areas of the park. Nuisance bears are not now a problem and the park-wide bear population seems to have stabilized at from 40 to 50 animals.

Grizzly bear (Ursus klamathensis) were exterminated in the region by 1895, and reintroduction efforts on their behalf have not been made.

Wolves and Coyotes - Wolves (Canus lupus) do not seem to have ever been common in the southern Cascade region and are now gone from the area. In the early 1900's, predator control programs largely exterminated this species in the region and the last recorded wolf kill in the State of Oregon was in 1927 east of Fort Klamath by Biological Survey predatory animal hunters.

The coyote (Canus latrans) has also been heavily persecuted by man. Because of its adaptability to man, as well as its capability to survive in a wide variety of habitats, the coyote still persists in the region. The coyote is considered rare within the park, as it prefers the open country of the arid sagebrush areas found in the Upper Sonoran Life Zone. They are considered as permanent residents within the park and are apparently maintaining a stable population, although they are rarely seen because of their twilight and nocturnal habits.

Fox

The red fox (Vulpes fulva) has an estimated population of 40 individuals within the park and is one of the more commonly seen mammals. The red fox is commonly found in open meadows or park-like areas where the greatest concentrations of rodents are found. Dens are typically located in rocky areas. They are commonly observed in the village area in the wintertime.

The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoaxgenteus) prefers the chaparralcovered hills south and west of the park, but is an infrequent visitor to the ponderosa pine forests within the park.

Mountain Lion - The mountain lion (Felis concolor) has not been seen within the park since about 1950. Prior to this time, the cat was considered an infrequent visitor to the park and not a permanent resident. Man's encroachment into the cat's territory, hunting pressures from the public, and the elimination or reduction in numbers of prey species are the primary reasons for the elimination of this species from the region of the park.

Bobcats and Lynx - The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is an infrequent inhabitant of all of the life zones within the park. Its population within the park is only about 10 individuals, so sightings are rare. The lynx (Lynx canadensis) is native to the park but has not been reported for many years. It prefers the Canadian and Hudsonian forest habitats.

Elk - The Roosevelt elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) once ranged the valleys and open areas from the Cascades westward to the Pacific Coast. With the advance of civilization, the Roosevelt elk withdrew to the higher, forested mountain areas, and by 1917 was on the brink of extinction in the area of Crater Lake National Park. Fifteen Rocky Mountain elk (C. canadensis nelsoni) were brought to the park from Yellowstone National Park in that year, and interbreeding may have diluted any subspecies differentiation by now.

Elk have been seen in all areas of the park but are concentrated in two small herds in the western and southwestern parts of the park. The western herd concentrates around the Sphagnum Bog area and ranges southward to Bybee Creek and possibly as far as the Castle Creek drainage area. Their winter migration begins at the first snows and is westward into the Rogue River drainage area.

The southwestern herd centers around Union Peak and their winter migration is south to Red Blanket Creek and then westward until the lower elevations are reached where dense thickets of ceanothus offer plentiful browse and ample protection from hunting pressures. Exceptionally heavy snowfalls may force the herd further south to Bessie Creek and the Middle Fork of the Rogue River. This is the larger of the two herds. The total number of elk in the park is approximately 140 to 200 animals.

The elk within the park are part of a larger population of elk which range on adjacent lands. General trends for the region indicate that elk populations are increasing. A study of the elk herds within the park was begun in 1973 to determine their population, calving success, and migration routes.

Deer - From 200 to 300 mule deer (Odocoileus hemiones hemiones) live within the park during the snow-free period of summer. They inhabit the east-central area of the park down to the southeast corner and up to the crest of the Cascades just west of the lake. Mule deer prefer the drier eastern slopes and the open forest and mountainous terrain. Their principal browse is mountain mahogany, bitterbrush, and wild rose.

Winter movement is toward the south to the Sun Mountain area and then eastward across the Wood River Valley into the lower Red Blanket Creek area. In the spring they follow the creek drainages back into the park, advancing against the retreating snowline.

The blacktailed deer (Odocoileus hemiones columbianus) typically inhabit areas west of the Cascade crest, as they prefer denser forests than the mule deer. In the park these deer are principally in the west-central section and possibly range as far north as the Sphagnum Bog area. They move to lower elevations to the west at the commencement of winter.

Within recent years the whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus ochrounus) has apparently developed a resident population of about 30 animals within the park. Occasional sightings are made where the whitetail frequents stream margins, ponds, permanent potholes, and open wet meadows in the west-central portions of the park.

Mule deer and blacktailed deer integrate along the summit area in the park and some hybridization does occur. Most of the deer sightings in the Annie Springs and Sun Creek area have apparently been blacktail deer, even though this is a mule deer habitat. These may be hybrids. The resident whitetail deer may also be in fact hybrids of blacktail and mule deer.

Pronghorn - In 1896 the Oregon Biological Survey reported abundant pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in the Pumice Desert area of what was to become Crater Lake National Park. I n 1915 the population was estimated at only 10 and pronghorn have been considered absent from the park until as recently as 1973. The Pumice Desert provides the only habitat in the park for this animal of the open plains, and in 1973, three separate sightings of individual pronghorn or small groups of them were made in this area. The pronghorn thus is present but transient within the park.

Exotic Species - The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is present within the park as a result of its introduction into the surrounding region by man.