Mathew A. Mumma, Chris Zieminski, Todd K. Fuller, Shane P. Mahoney, and Lisette P. Waits
Monitoring large carnivores is difficult because of intrinsically low densities and can be dangerous if physical capture is required. Noninvasive genetic sampling (NGS) is a safe and cost-effective alternative to physical capture. We evaluated the utility of two NGS methods (scat detection dogs and hair sampling) to obtain genetic samples for abundance estimation of coyotes, black bears and Canada lynx in three areas of Newfoundland, Canada.
Matthew A. Mumma, Colleen E. Soulliere, Shane P. Mahoney, and Lisette P. Wairs
Predator species identification is an important step in understanding predator-prey interactions, but predator identifications using kill site observations are often unreliable. The authors used molecular tools to analyse predator saliva, scat and hair from caribou calf kills in Newfoundland, Canada to identify the predator species, individual and sex. The authors sampled DNA from 32 carcasses using cotton swabs to collect predator saliva.
