NON-INVASIVE GENETIC TRACKING OF HABITUATED BLACK BEARS (URSUS AMERICANUS) IN THE TAHOE BASIN

Jillian K Adkins; California Department of Fish and Wildlife; jillian.adkins@wildlife.ca.gov; Alyson Cheney, Kyle Garrett, Erin Meredith, Aleixa Ronning

Since 2020, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Law Enforcement Division’s Wildlife Forensic Laboratory (WFL) has utilized genetic methods to detect individual black bears (Ursus americanus) involved in human-wildlife conflict incidents resulting in property damage and public safety concerns in the Tahoe Basin. The collection of DNA samples from home and vehicle invasions has provided a novel and unique opportunity to non-invasively track black bears through their genetic profiles in near real time. Samples are analyzed using forensically validated methods to ensure accuracy of results and to provide statistical significance when an individual profile is detected multiple times. Turn-around time from raw sample to DNA profile ranges from 4 to 12 hours depending on the sample type, and the profiles generated enable historic and near real time geographic tracking of bears without the use of a radio tracking collar. The combination of field and genetic investigation has given insight into the behavioral patterns that are passed down generationally from sow to cub(s) and the need for active management practices.

Genetics in Wildlife Science, Conservation, and Management - II