Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Scented Wooden Posts for DNA Hair Snagging of Brown Bears

Abstract

Estimating population density and monitoring demographic trends of large carnivores are hard to be done, as they, in general, occur at very low population densities over large ranges and are often elusive. We tested the utility of artificially scented wooden rubbing posts as a tool for DNA hair snagging of brown bears (Ursus arctos), which can be used for noninvasive population monitoring. To determine which type of scents can attract bears, we applied various types of the scent lure [odor of brown bear, α-pinene (turpentine), and wood creosote oil] on wooden posts to compare with an unscented control, using 75 posts in total during 2009–2012. Among them, we confirmed that 23 posts were rubbed by bears at least once. The scent lures were selected as significant variables by a likelihood ratio test. Probability of rubbing by bears was the highest for wooden posts with creosote oil (57.6%). Our study offers a potentially effective means of DNA hair snagging by using artificially scented wooden rubbing posts.