Cell Banking and Genetic Characterization of the Endangered

Gobi Bear

Gobi bears are found only in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and are the only brown bear adapted to living in harsh desert conditions. Their taxonomic status remains uncertain, assumed by some to be a distinct species, Ursus gobiensis, while others consider them a subspecies of brown bear, Ursus arctos gobiensis. There are no Gobi bears in zoos and only about 30 remain in the wild with an uncertain long-term outlook due to drought, population fragmentation, predation by wolves, and competition for food with grazing livestock. They are given full protection in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and are listed as “very rare” in the Mongolian Red Book (1997).

Under the supervision of the Mongolian Ministry of Nature and Natural Resources, an international team of experts is immobilizing and radio-collaring Gobi bears over a three-year period to determine the status, distribution, movements, habitat use, feeding ecology, and causes of mortality of remaining bears through a focused research effort using observations, transects, camera traps, and satellite collars. During immobilization, blood, hair, and skin biopsy samples will be collected and field processed for preservation until they can be transported to laboratories in the United States.

The genetic uniqueness of the Gobi bears will be determined by laboratory analysis of blood, hairs, scat, and tissue collected from the field. Cell lines will be established at CRES and preserved in the Frozen Zoo ® to ensure an ample supply of DNA, dividing cells for chromosomal studies, and RNA for gene expression studies. The information gained from these studies will assist in determining the evolutionary and taxonomic status of Ursus arctos in the Gobi and be valuable for future management decisions of this species.