The opening of a new state of the art wildlife laboratory will improve the province’s ability to undertake vital scientific wildlife studies and research. The Honourable Elvis Loveless, Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture toured the laboratory today in Pasadena.

The total investment to renovate, upgrade and equip the facility to meet recognized professional standards was $530,000.

The new laboratory will improve the ability of staff to streamline important laboratory processing activities such as archiving and specimen storage into one facility. This will support key programs to be carried out at the new lab such as the recently re-launched Big Game Jawbone Collection Program and the Canid Lineage Project.

This new facility was created as a replacement for the old laboratory located at the College of the North Atlantic Corner Brook campus and contains several upgrades. This includes a new ventilation system, ultra-cold freezer units, stainless steel counter tops and epoxy floors and walls, all which have been designed to help ensure staff are working in a safe and sanitary work environment. Additional information about function of the laboratory is available in the backgrounder below.

The new lab site is also strategically located to take advantage of support and services available at the adjacent Wildlife Division field operation and Pasadena District Forestry and Wildlife office sites as well as Animal Health Division staff vets and technicians located at nearby Pynn’s Brook.

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“This new modern facility will provide department staff with the tools and equipment required to support the sustainable management of our province’s wild game populations. Activities such as the processing and analyzing of specimens collected through the Jawbone Collection Program will now be able to be completed in a more timely and efficient manner.”
Honourable Elvis Loveless
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture

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Media contact
Craig Renouf
Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
709-637-2923, 640-6922
craigrenouf@gov.nl.ca 

BACKGROUNDER

Information on the Recently Renovated Wildlife Laboratory in Pasadena

Key functions of the wildlife laboratory will be the recently re-launched Big Game Jawbone Collection Program and the Canid Lineage Project.

• The Jawbone Collection Program involves staff removing teeth of harvested moose for aging and analyzing the jawbone for wear and size. This data combined with the information provided by hunters will provide big game demographic population information.
• The Canid Lineage Project takes genetic samples from canid coyotes. Animals larger than 15 kg are sent to the wildlife lab for a full morphometric analysis and necropsy. The goal is to determine the individual’s lineage (coyote, wolf, or some degree of hybrid).

General laboratory operations include:

• Necropsy ( e.g. moose, caribou, polar bear, coyote, lynx, fish, birds and bats)
• Preparation of histological specimens
• Aging of game and fish, as well as endangered species populations (tooth wear, tooth cross-section, otolith aging)
• Species identification (small mammal, various bird groups, hair snag analysis)
• Specimen preparation for DNA archiving, and georeferenced archives of amphibian, fish, and mammal collections
• Disease surveillance and the preparation of specimens to send to Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative
• Gut content analysis
• Parasitological studies
• Biomass estimation for forage availability and habitat assessment

The opening of this facility will also support the implementation of the department’s new Wildlife Laboratory Database and Archive (WLDA) that will now provide staff with the ability to track all specimens coming into the new Pasadena laboratory as well as laboratory facilities in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.