Wildlife biologists from the Stillaguamish and Tulalip tribes are using elk scat to estimate the population of the Nooksack herd in the Acme, Wash., area.
Tribal biologists partnered with Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment to collect DNA from the intestinal mucus coating the scat.
“This is a non-invasive method that does not require collaring animals or helicopter time to survey them,” said Stillaguamish biologist Jennifer Sevigny.
“Once individual elk are identified by their DNA, a population estimate can be obtained by re-sampling an area and comparing the number of originally identified individuals – the marked animals – to the newly identified animals – the unmarked animals,” said Tulalip wildlife manager Mike Sevigny.
Tribes sample elk scat to survey population from NW Indian Fisheries Commission on Vimeo.
