The Ministry wildlife biologists in Penticton are reaching out with a citizen science opportunity, for BCWF members to help inventory the cougar population in the Boundary (MU 8-14) this winter.
We are using a DNA mark-recapture technique to sample as many individual cougars as possible within the study area from now until March 2024. The majority of DNA samples come in the form of hair that is shed as cougars travel through the snow. It might sound unlikely, but it is actually quite easy to collect cougar hair by simply following their tracks. At the end of the winter we will genotype all samples to identify the individual cougars they came from, and the ratio of unique individuals that are sampled compared to individuals that are resampled multiple times provides a population estimate.
If anyone is interested in volunteering, all they have to do is drive, sled, ski, snowshoe, or hike anywhere they wish in MU 8-14 to search for cougar tracks. If tracks are located then they can follow them in either direction to collect hair (ideally around 10 strands), place the sample in a paper envelope labelled with the date and location, and get the samples to me before March. Folks can collect samples whenever they like and can start anytime. Every sample makes a huge difference and even a couple extra samples collected by volunteers through the winter will improve the population model considerably.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the project, please contact:
TJ Gooliaff, MSc, RPBio
A/Wildlife Section Head
Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship | Thompson-Okanagan Region
102 Industrial Place, Penticton BC, V2A 7C8
Phone: 778-622-6843 | Email: [email protected]
