A new way of tracking polar bears will not only help keep tabs of the Arctic animals, but also gives trackers an easier and more cost efficient way of doing their job. The three part method, developed at Queen’s University by biologists Peter V.C. de Groot and Peter Boag, combines traditional methods of Inuit hunting with up to date genetic DNA analysis and is less stressful on the polar bears than the current method of tracking then from a helicopter, tranquilizing and then marking them.

“The data from current aerial monitoring methods may be becoming less accurate with increased sea ice changes caused by global warming,” says Dr. de Groot, “and we need a more sensitive tool to monitor Canada’s bear populations. This [new] method, along with others being evaluated, should allow us to annually survey all of the country’s polar bears, non-intrusively, with Inuit involvement, at a fraction of the current cost.”

Instead of tracking the bears by air, the research team will set up “hair traps” approximately 15 kilometers apart, spreading out over enters the trap to get the meat, some of it fur is caught. Using the caught fur, Dr. Baog will be able to determine the age and sex by studying the DNA markers. Bear feces will also be collected and screened genetically at the San Diego Zoo’s Laboratory of Wildlife Diseases to check for any disease causing agents that may be present.

At the same time, some of the Arctic’s top Inuit hunters will be examining polar bear paw prints to identify the bear’s age, sex and size. This information will be combined with that gathered from the collection of hair and feces to get a better picture of the Arctic polar bear population.

The research team was awarded $500, 00 in funding from the Canadian federal Ministry of Indian and Northern Affairs as part of the country’s Northern Strategy. The money will be used to upgrade research cabins located in the McClintock Channel. When the refurbished cabins aren’t being used by researchers, local Inuit hunters will be able to use them for eco-tourism, bringing money into the region.