Evaluating the use of hair as a non-invasive indicator of trace mineral status in woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) ...

• Main Authors: Jutha, Naima, Jardine, Claire, Schwantje, Helen, Mosbacher, Jesper, Kinniburgh, David, Kutz, Susan
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2022
• Subjects: FOS Veterinary science; trace element; Cobalt; Molybdenum; Selenium; wildlife health; British Columbia; Canada; Tahltan; caribou; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gtht76hpx; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.gtht76hpx

Trace mineral imbalances can have significant effects on animal health, reproductive success, and survival. Monitoring their status in wildlife populations is, therefore, important for management and conservation. Typically, livers and kidneys are sampled to measure mineral status, but biopsies and lethal-sampling are not always possible, particularly for Species at Risk. We aimed to: 1) determine baseline mineral levels in Northern Mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou; Gmelin, 1788) in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, and 2) determine if hair can be used as an effective indicator of caribou mineral status by evaluating associations between hair and organ mineral concentrations. Hair, liver, and kidney samples from adult male caribou (n­­Hair= 31; nLiver, nKidney= 43) were collected by guide-outfitters in 2016-2018 hunting seasons. Trace minerals and heavy metals were quantified using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and organ and hair concentrations of same individuals were ... : Study Population and Sample Collection We studied 7 herds of the Northern Mountain ecotype of woodland caribou (R. t. caribou) occurring in the traditional territory of the Tahltan Nation (northwestern British Columbia, Canada) (Fig 1). No animals were killed for the purposes of this study. Caribou were legally hunted in their natural habitat by authorized non-resident hunters during the fall hunting season (15 August – 15 October), accompanied by guide-outfitter members of the Tahltan Guide and Outfitters Association (TGOA), per regulations outlined in the B.C. Hunting and Trapping Synopsis under the Wildlife Act (Government of British Columbia). Samples were contributed by guide-outfitters participating in a harvest-based wildlife health sampling program initiated in 2016 and use for this study was approved per the BC Wildlife Permit MRSM 18-285261 (Government of British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations, and Rural Development (FLNRORD)) and the Animal Use Protocol AC-18-0093 ...