91��ɫ

A multi-institutional research team led by 91��ɫ has developed and tested three different “Burr on Fur” prototypes to study their effectiveness in studying and tracking polar bears. The paper, , published in Animal Biotelemetry, details the first peer-reviewed examination of these short-term tracking devices.

Lead author of the paper and researcher at 91��ɫ's Faculty of Science Biology Department, , states the fur tags showed great promise and give researchers the ability to study the behaviors and movements of polar bears that we have very little data on, like subadult and adult male bears. “Successfully attaching telemetry tags to polar bear fur has never been done before, and we’re excited to share the results of this innovative work,” he says.

Professor , Sustainable Environmental Management Coordinator at 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change and the report’s co-author, notes: “Our results are an important step in better understanding the movements and behavior of polar bears, especially adult male bears, which are difficult to track because they can’t be fitted with satellite collars.”

The minimally invasive prototypes, which are affixed to the fur of polar bears, were recently tested on wild polar bears along the west coast of Hudson Bay, alongside traditional ear tag transmitters. The devices fill an important niche for scientists and wildlife managers, enabling researchers to follow the movements of adult male and subadult polar bears, two groups that have been historically understudied because they cannot be safely fitted using traditional satellite collars due to morphology and growth constraints.

Accordingly, remote tracking technologies provide researchers with detailed insights into the biological and environmental factors influencing animal movement. This information empowers managers and stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding the ongoing conservation of polar bears by helping identify critical habitat and explain shifting movement patterns. Data collected from the tags were used to quantify the amount of time subadult and adult males spent resting versus traveling while on land.

Findings confirm that adult and subadult male bears reduce their activity while on land, corroborating previous observational studies that showed bears spent approximately 70 to 90 percent of their time resting during the ice-free period in Hudson Bay. Their results also suggest that bears travelled less during warmer weather, increasing their time spent traveling as temperatures cooled and sea ice formed.

As the climate warms, northern ecosystems are rapidly changing. These climate-driven changes, such as changes in sea ice availability, are likely to cause shifts in polar bear distribution and habitat selection. With polar bears spending more time on land, concurrent with declining body condition and potentially increasing nutritional stress, the risk of human-polar bear conflict is likely to rise. Thiemann further notes that the new fur-mounted tags could “help track the movements of bears relocated after potentially coming into conflict with people, making these tags an important tool for conserving polar bears and keeping northern communities safe.”

The multi-institutional research team won the for developing burr-like tracking device that sticks to polar bears’ fur. The research presents promising findings from field research deploying the first-ever fur tracking tags on free-roaming polar bears, advancing wildlife research and coexistence. See related article in YFile.

=============================

Research Project Team: Kevin Bangen, 3M senior technologist providing 3D technical support; Andrew Derocher, University of Alberta biology professor; George Durner, former Research Zoologist with the United States Geological Survey; Jennifer Ehrlich, 3M senior communications manager; Lindsey Hines, 3M research specialist; Chris Kelton, 3M advanced prototype engineer; BJ Kirschhoffer, Polar Bears International director of conservation technology; Jon Kirschhoffer, former 3M advanced research scientist; Marissa Krouse, Polar Bears International director of conservation programs; Joseph Northrup of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry; Evelyn Padilla, 3M digital marketing leader; Tyler Ross, 91��ɫ researcher and PhD candidate; Vasav Sahni, former 3M advanced research specialist; Gregory W. Thiemann, 91��ɫ associate professor; Vicki Trim, Manitoba regional wildlife manager; and Geoff 91��ɫ, Polar Bears International senior director of conservation and staff scientist. In collaboration with the following aquariums and zoos: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium; Kansas City Zoo; Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; San Diego Zoo, Como Park Zoo; Oregon Zoo; Louisville Zoo; Maryland Zoo in Baltimore; Utah’s Hogle Zoo; Assiniboine Park Zoo and Toronto Zoo in Canada; and Skandinavisk Dyrepark in Denmark.