In the Alaskan Wilderness: A Rare Glimpse into Wolf Survival

As we venture into the vast expanse of Alaska's Denali National Park, we find ourselves surrounded by an untouched ecosystem that is largely unchanged by human presence. The park spans six million acres, a testament to its remoteness and inaccessibility. It is here that we can observe wildlife in their natural habitat, free from the influences of human activity.

Caribou, Dall sheep, moose, and their main predators – bears and wolves – make up this rare intact ecosystem, which serves as a unique living laboratory for biologists. The park's wolf population has been extensively studied by park staff since 1986, with the aim of gaining a deeper understanding of their behavior. There are approximately 75 wolves in Denali, separated into nine packs due to the park's vast size. This makes tracking them an incredibly challenging task.

Trail cameras have become an essential tool for monitoring wolf activity without physically being present at the location. Scientists placed one such camera near a wolf kill site last February, which also captured footage of other predators feeding in the area as the day progressed. Park wildlife biologists embarked on an expedition to locate dens and set up durable motion and heat-sensing cameras designed to withstand temperatures as low as negative 40 degrees. These cameras were attached to trees, pointed directly at dens that had recently been active, with the hope of capturing images of a pregnant female returning in the following year or a new pack discovering it.

These cameras are battery-powered and operate independently, without connection to any cell tower or Wi-Fi network. They are completely off the grid, and the team returns to the site once a year to retrieve the SD cards, replace the cameras, and review the footage obtained. The data collected from these cameras provides valuable insights into pack behavior, including information on pup births and other relevant details.

In addition to trail cameras, park wildlife biologists employ an even more hands-on approach in wolf tracking – fitting one to three wolves from every pack living within the park with weatherproof battery-powered GPS collars. Each collar provides the coordinates of a wolf's last-known location within the last four hours, along with GPS data. The collars are also equipped with radio transmitters that enable biologists to determine if any wolves are nearby while they conduct fieldwork.

The range of these radio tracking systems is roughly three to four miles, but reception can vary greatly depending on the terrain. When out conducting fieldwork, biologists use a radio tracking antenna to gauge the presence of wolves within this range. By combining data from both camera and GPS technologies, scientists can gather a comprehensive understanding of wolf behavior, ecological significance in the park, and how they respond to climate changes – all set against the backdrop of one of the wildest places on Earth.

The intersection of technology and wildlife observation provides an unparalleled opportunity for biologists to study the elusive grey wolf in its natural habitat. In this vast expanse of untouched wilderness, we are privileged to witness a rare glimpse into the survival strategies employed by these magnificent creatures, under the watchful eye of scientists dedicated to preserving our understanding of the natural world.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enin the Alaskan wilderness a hungry Wolverine picks at the carcass of a moose it is likely unaware that the wolves that killed this moose are nearby a camera scientist place near the kill site records everything it's a rare look at how wolves survive in an untouched ecosystem here we are in Alaska's Denali National Park to find out what technology scientists and other employees here are using to track wildlife Denali is six million acres of wilderness largely unchanged by humans due to its remoteness the wildlife here caribou dall sheep moose and their main predators bears and wolves make up a rare intact ecosystem and a unique living laboratory for biologists park staff have been tracking Denalis grey wolf since 1986 in an ongoing effort to better understand their behavior there are an estimated 75 wolves in Denali separated into nine packs because of the size of the park tracking them can be very difficult trail cameras are an effective way to keep an eye on them without physically being there scientists placed this one at a wolf kill last February it also caught other predators feeding there as the day's wore on park wildlife biologists trekked through the park off trail to locate dens and set up the durable motion and heat sensing cameras designed to withstand temperatures as low as negative 40 degrees they attached them to trees pointing directly at dens that were recently active hoping the same pregnant female will return the following year to give birth or that a new pack will find it and use it the cameras are battery-powered and don't connect to a cell tower or a Wi-Fi network they're completely off the grid and the team returns to the site once a year to retrieve the SD cards replace the cameras and review the footage what they find helps them gather additional data about pack behavior how many pups were born and more other wolf tracking is even more hands on the team fits one to three wolves from every pack living in the park with weatherproof battery-powered GPS collars each collar provides the coordinates of a wolf's last-known location within the last four hours along with GPS data the collars are also outfitted with radio transmitters Park wildlife biologists use a radio tracking antenna to determine if there are any wolves nearby when they're out doing field work the range is roughly three to four miles but it's reception depends on the terrain all of this data together helps the National Park Service better understand an elusive species not just wolves travel patterns in and around Denali but also their ecological significance in the park and how they respond to climate changes in one of the wildest places on earth youin the Alaskan wilderness a hungry Wolverine picks at the carcass of a moose it is likely unaware that the wolves that killed this moose are nearby a camera scientist place near the kill site records everything it's a rare look at how wolves survive in an untouched ecosystem here we are in Alaska's Denali National Park to find out what technology scientists and other employees here are using to track wildlife Denali is six million acres of wilderness largely unchanged by humans due to its remoteness the wildlife here caribou dall sheep moose and their main predators bears and wolves make up a rare intact ecosystem and a unique living laboratory for biologists park staff have been tracking Denalis grey wolf since 1986 in an ongoing effort to better understand their behavior there are an estimated 75 wolves in Denali separated into nine packs because of the size of the park tracking them can be very difficult trail cameras are an effective way to keep an eye on them without physically being there scientists placed this one at a wolf kill last February it also caught other predators feeding there as the day's wore on park wildlife biologists trekked through the park off trail to locate dens and set up the durable motion and heat sensing cameras designed to withstand temperatures as low as negative 40 degrees they attached them to trees pointing directly at dens that were recently active hoping the same pregnant female will return the following year to give birth or that a new pack will find it and use it the cameras are battery-powered and don't connect to a cell tower or a Wi-Fi network they're completely off the grid and the team returns to the site once a year to retrieve the SD cards replace the cameras and review the footage what they find helps them gather additional data about pack behavior how many pups were born and more other wolf tracking is even more hands on the team fits one to three wolves from every pack living in the park with weatherproof battery-powered GPS collars each collar provides the coordinates of a wolf's last-known location within the last four hours along with GPS data the collars are also outfitted with radio transmitters Park wildlife biologists use a radio tracking antenna to determine if there are any wolves nearby when they're out doing field work the range is roughly three to four miles but it's reception depends on the terrain all of this data together helps the National Park Service better understand an elusive species not just wolves travel patterns in and around Denali but also their ecological significance in the park and how they respond to climate changes in one of the wildest places on earth you\n"