Grizzly findings

A new study, co-authored by biologists from SFU, the Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the University of Victoria, questions the sustainability of BC’s grizzly bear population management over the last ten years.

Using information requested by the science-based advocacy group Raincoast, the authors aimed to determine whether BC’s alleged “sound” scientific management of wildlife actually preserved the grizzly bear population.

The study, published on Nov. 6, found that the total number of kills exceeded the limits set by BC government’s biologists. Also, as the study stresses, the actual number of overkills could be even higher given the amount of uncertainty in the bear population count.

Kyle Artelle, an SFU doctoral student, Raincoast biologist, and lead author of the study, expressed concerns in a press release. “These overkills are a serious concern because the biology of grizzly bears makes them highly vulnerable to excessive mortality,” he said. “They have great difficulty recovering from population declines.”

The study reveals that grizzly bears, indeed, have biological characteristics that can hinder population growth, such as a long lifespan and delayed reproductive maturity. Sows “have small litters [that they] keep for up to two years, after which they will often go one or two years without having any cubs at all,” Artelle told The Peak in a phone interview.

This is the first independent study on the BC Ministry of Environment’s policies of wildlife management, and it was made possible after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request that went to the Supreme Court of BC.

Although the findings of the study may look grim, Artelle talked of a “hopeful” side to the study, supported by data: “even considering all other sources of kill, such as road and rail accidents, and self-defence kills, if [the government] had eliminated or reduced hunting in the study period, they could have prevented most of the overkills we detected. So the government does have a tool to prevent this from happening.”

These findings come in a time of rising mobilisation against trophy hunting in BC among the Coastal First Nations communities. A public opinion poll conducted for the Coastal First Nations in September found that four out of five British Columbians support a ban on trophy hunting grizzly bears.

Fecal matters: innovation could save lives

Ash Parameswaran of SFU school of engineering and three of his graduate students have created an inexpensive lifesaving invention, which is on track to save the lives of millions of infants. The lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is an inexpensive microfluidic device that can quickly do bacterial tests for infantile diarrhea and determine the appropriate antibiotic for treatment.

Parameswaran’s was one of the 102 research projects to receive a $100,000 grant from the federal government’s Stars in Global Health Program. With international HealthCare practitioners clamoring to lay their hands on the LOC, the grant money will be used by Parameswaran and his team to develop the USB-sized mechanism, which will cost around five dollars and plug into a cell phone.

The inspiration for this design comes from the high infantile death rates in association with diarrhea, especially in developing countries. In these countries, it may take as long as 10 days to reach a doctor and begin the necessary treatment — in most cases, this is too late.

There are 10 different antibiotics available; the problem is the ability to instruct on their use and diagnose the specific vein of bacteria. Parameswaran’s design would enable mothers to test the fecal matter themselves and administer treatment with over-the-phone aid from a licensed practitioner.

Parameswaran is supervising a team of highly qualified personnel. His graduate students hold high standing academic and industrial appointments today both nationally and internationally. Parameswaran has also establishing a microfabrication and micromachining laboratory to fabricate micromechanical devices and systems here at SFU.

These resources will help Parameswaran and his team to incorporate the LOC’s biology and electronics into a desk-sized prototype for investors, followed by the final USB-sized product, assuming further funding, which in the future could be used anywhere with access to a cell phone.