Execution condition using the hair trap method for administration and example in Nagano Prefecture

Abstract

The density of Japanese black bears, Ursus thibetanus, living in the Kanto mountainous district of Nagano Prefecture has been estimated at 0.01–0.03/km² by conventional investigations: bear signs, direct observation at fixed points, and questionnaire surveys. Investigations by the hair trap method were executed in the Kanto mountainous district of Nagano Prefecture. One hundred hair traps were set and 679 hair samples were analyzed. We identified 33 bears by DNA analysis,and the success rate of our analysis was 26.3%. Results from the hair trap method suggest that density is underestimated by conventional methods.