Photo courtesy Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is conducting a survey of black bear in northwestern Ontario.
Regional Outreach Specialist Michelle Nowak says they use barbed-wire hair traps to collect their data.
The hair samples are then sent for DNA analysis to determine how many of the bears who have visited the bait station are unique or have been there before.
Nowak notes the last seven-year survey was completed in 2011 and found the black bear population to be quite stable.
The study estimated there to be between 85,000 and 105,000 black bears in Ontario.
Nowak says the data collected from these multi-year surveys will allow the Ministry to reassess those numbers.
The study will run for the next five weeks.
Some of the survey sites are located in areas to the west of Fort Frances.
Nowak says if you come across them keep your distance.
