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CLAWS

Conservancy-communities living among wildlife sustainably

Scent of a Wolf

CLAWS
  • OUR STORY/
  • OUR WORK/
    • Conservation Collaboration
    • Pride in Our Prides
    • Scent of a Wolf
    • Leopards Without Borders
  • TEAM/
  • NEWS/
  • CONTACT/
  • DONATE/
  • Adopt A Lion/

Scent of a Wolf Project, Montana

 15 year old wolf at the Wolf Conservation Center in Salem, New York

15 year old wolf at the Wolf Conservation Center in Salem, New York

DSCF2030.JPG
Study Area

Study Area

Three?

Three?

It's amazing how well these three wolves blend into the Montana landscape. As we were leaving, they began to howl.

Greater Yellowstone

Greater Yellowstone

Shanthanu Bhardwaj's Gray wolf photo from Yellowstone.

  A captive wolf from the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, one of our potential partners for wolf scent marking study.

A captive wolf from the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, one of our potential partners for wolf scent marking study.

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 15 year old wolf at the Wolf Conservation Center in Salem, New York
DSCF2030.JPG
Study Area
Three?
Greater Yellowstone
  A captive wolf from the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, one of our potential partners for wolf scent marking study.

There is no greater symbol of the America West than a wolf pack howling on a mountain ridgeline at dusk. Regardless of their majesty, wolves have been at the center of the human-wildlife debate in the western states since their reintroduction in 1995.

As profit margins become smaller for cattle ranchers, many feel that the reintroduction of wolves has added stress to an already fragile economic balance. Ranchers, after all, actively and purposefully removed wolves 90 years ago. With their reintroduction, wolves have the potential to kill livestock but also stress female cattle causing miscarried pregnancies and loss of weight. Though many ranchers are upset about the return of wolves, some are more tolerant and feel that wolves have a place in the system as long as conflicts remain low.

Keeping wolves out of high conflict areas is essential for maintaining a healthy coexistence between the ranchers and these apex predators. Many potential non-lethal solutions have been proposed with varying success including shock collars on wolves, noisemakers and flashing lights, aversive conditioning on dead livestock, flagging and many others.  To design a solution to this issue we are looking to wolf biology and behavior and are asking this question: “What do wolves avoid in nature?”  Wolves already have a system of avoidance inherent in their territorial behavior. When wolves howl and scent mark, they are communicating to their neighbors all the vital information required to maintain their territories while minimizing potentially fatal confrontations. These territorial cues likely advertise the age structure and sex ratio of the pack and the timing of their most recent visit to the area.  Wolves can assess this information to decide whether to intrude on a neighbor or back off.  

Field studies have tested the use of scent marks as ‘bioboundaries’ for African wild dogs in Botswana and ‘biofences’ for wolves in Idaho. Both of these studies have shown tremendous promise as these species appear to respect the marks of a large unknown pack.  We are working with the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone to collect captive wolf scent marks for field trials. We will pair these captive marks with recorded howls to test the biofence on wolves venturing into hostile ranchland along the northern boundary of Yellowstone National Park.  We are currently negotiating collaborations with Park biologists, State Officials and ranchers for a field trial. Stay tuned.

#scentofawolf

 

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Supporting the local economy! This young lady was selling “magunas” or fat cakes- tasty fried dough. Here Edwin is negotiating for our breakfast. 😉 #clawsconservancy #entrepreneur #localbusiness #localfood #buylocal #smartkids
Flirting- lion style- on Valentine’s Day! Here are Mayenga and Gombo doing the dance. @insidenatgeo @lionrecovery @natgeo @natgeowild @sacramentozoo #clawsconservancy #prideinourprides #flirt #lion #valentines #bemyvalentine
Happy Birthday @mathatatomeletso! Since we started #prideinourprides there has been one constant- the work of our committed field assistant Mathata “Pro” Tomeletso. He tracks lions, records conflict reports, translates, builds Lion-proof livestock enclosures, leads community outreach and education programs. He is the glue to our project!  He once said (when asked how long he plans to stay with our project) “He wants to see where the rabbit will rot”- meaning he is in til the end. Thank you Pro and have a great wonderful day! #clawsconservancy #employeeappreciation #mvp #happybirthday #thankyou
Are leopards avoid their neighbors? Scientists have argued that territorial altercations are too costly for solitary carnivores. This week CLAWS founder, Dr. Andrew Stein, published a study on leopard and wild dog movements in relation to their neighbors. They found that leopards movements are not influenced by their neighbors unless both individuals are close to the boundary- then they approach! Often these encounters lead to a lot of bluster but no physical conflict. Females and males seek their neighbors for different reasons- males for territorial defense, males seek females for mating and females are often related to their female neighbors so violence is less likely. Read more with the link in our bio. @insidenatgeo @natgeo @botswanapredatorconservation @natgeowild #clawsconservancy #leopard #territorial #wildlifephotography #wildlife

CLAWS Conservancy - Communities Living Among Wildlife Sustainably - is a 501(c)(3) registered public charity. #clawsconservancy