Estimating moose density using scat
In the summer of 2016, the Cornell, WCS and DEC research team deployed three teams of scat-detection dogs to locate moose scats on 90 transects across the Adirondack Park. These dogs were incredibly adept at locating and identifying animal scats – even having the ability to differentiate between closely related species of animals. The researchers collected samples of moose scat and analyzed the genetic material left on the scats from the moose to identify individuals. Using this method we learned where individuals were moving based on where we found their scats. This information regarding moose space use is valuable information that we can use in a spatial capture-recapture analysis. From this data, the team estimated a population of approximately 549 moose within the Adirondack Park (95% confidence interval ranged 368- 850 moose; Wong 2018).
The information regarding moose density and space use is important for state wildlife managers, and this and other research efforts contribute to this end. This study also investigated the ecology of some of the diseases that may be affecting moose, most notably brain worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) and giant liver fluke (Fascioloides magna), by measuring infection prevalence in white-tailed deer (the definitive hosts in which the parasites reproduce) scats and gastropods (intermediate hosts in which the parasites mature). |