Wild Jobs: Scat Collector Justin Blair

It's a stinky job, but someone has to do it.

Justan Blair’s job really stinks. As a wildlife research assistant, one of his tasks is collecting scat—poop—of river otters and black bears. Why would Justan do such a thing? “You can learn a lot from scat,” Justan says. By picking apart bear scat, Justan learns which berries, nuts and other foods bears have been eating. This information helps wildlife managers know which plants to grow to keep bears well fed.

River otters leave scat in the same places again and again. Justan and other researchers canoe from one otter bathroom to another and remove every bit of scat they find. By counting how much new scat is deposited at each site, Justan can figure out how many otters live on that stretch of river. Each bit of scat is tested to learn what the otter has been eating and whether the otter is male or female.

Although Justan’s job is no bed of roses, there are some benefits to being a scat collector. “I spend four months of the year canoeing down some of the prettiest rivers in the state,” Justan says. “How many folks get paid to do that?”