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Yukon Southern Lakes Region Grizzly Bear Population Study
Environment Yukon is studying grizzly bears in the Yukon Southern Lakes Region. The study began in June of 2009.
This study is being done in collaboration with the First Nations. The Southern Lakes Wildlife Coordinating Committee also provided direction on the study.
Current estimates of grizzly bear numbers are based on local knowledge, outfitter experience, harvest history and expert opinion. Environment Yukon needs more detailed information in order to sustainably manage this harvested population.
The study area covers the important grizzly bear ranges between Tagish Lake and Kusawa Lake, from the Alaska Highway south to the British Columbia border.
- Southern Lakes residents, visitors, hunters - be aware
- Projects included in the study
Southern Lakes residents, visitors & hunters please be aware
Have you seen a grizzly bear den?
If you've seen a den, contact us. Let us know roughly where you saw it – a GPS location would be ideal.
Grizzly Den Study Poster 
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Tube traps
Tube Traps will be set throughout the Southern Lakes area. Signs will be posted - avoid these areas. If you come across a trap, leave the area immediately.
Southern Lakes Bear Traps Poster 845 KB
Report collared bears
If you see a collared bear, contact us. Please provide a description of the bear, a location, time/date, what it was doing, and GPS location if possible.
If you accidentally shoot a collared bear
If you accidentally shoot a collared bear, contact us. There are no penalties as long as you report the kill and return the collar to Environment Yukon.
Environment Yukon and local communities invest a lot of time and money in wildlife studies. Animals that wear or have worn collars provide information that helps us understand the way they use the land, their relationship with other species and how human activities affect them.
Hunters Check for Tattoos
If you've killed a black or grizzly bear in the Southern Lakes area - please check the inside of the lip for tattoos. Tattoos may fade over time so it is important to look carefully.
A tattoo indicates the bear has been tranquilized. Contact us - we can tell you if it the meat is edible.
Projects included in the study
Learn more about what we've been working on by reading the Grizzly Bear Research Activity Update - April 2013 
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Capturing and collaring
The first project involves biologists capturing and putting radio collars on 25 to 40 bears over the spring and summer months.
Hair gathering
We anticipate that a hair-gathering project will start in 2012. This project will provide information on the grizzly bear population by collecting hair samples from bears using special ‘traps’. These traps are designed to snag small samples of hair from the bears by attracting them to predetermined sites. An analysis of DNA from the hair samples provides more information about the density of bears in the study area and how the bears are related to one another by examining the genetic structure of the population.
Read more: Catching hair not bears for DNA analysis 608 KB
Scat gathering
Biologists are interested in understanding what bears are eating in the Southern Lakes area, so they are asking people that spend time on the land to help by collecting bear scats throughout the year.
Traditional knowledge
There will also be a local and traditional knowledge component to this study that will be lead by the region’s First Nations.
Contact Species ProgramsEnvironment Yukon Government of Yukon Box 2703 (V-5A) Phone: 867-393-7423 Email: carnivore@gov.yk.ca |
