by Mark MacAllister
June 21, 2002
The red wolf research team at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge has been experimenting with an unusual approach to tracking red wolf activity in the remotest part of the region. During Fall 2000, researchers with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service set up a pair of cameras on the beach at Stumpy Point, which is located on the far eastern side of the Refuge. Along with the cameras, they set up an infrared transmitter, which sent an invisible beam of light to a nearby infrared receiver. The cameras were then programmed to snap a photograph if anything blocked the beam by passing between the transmitter and receiver. Finally, FWS buried several scent lures and baits to attract wolves.
In the media column on the right side of this page are some photos obtained on Stumpy Point. The wolf in these pictures (known as 747F, a female) is part of an adult breeding pair with 662M. Both are part of the Pamlico Pack. The male was born into the Milltail Pack, and then lived as the adult breeder in the River Pack until his mate died last year from a heartworm infection. After she died, he moved 15 miles to the southeast and paired with the Pamlico female, whose mate had been killed by a vehicle a few months before these photos were taken.
The goal of the project was to photograph wolf pups, and in doing so prove that the pair had bred successfully in 2000. However, while setting and checking the cameras, the FWS crew saw only the tracks of adult wolves, and no pups showed in any of the photos.
Think About It
The quality of the photos is not great, since they were shot in nearly pitch-black conditions, but they can tell us a bit about what happens at night in the Refuge. Would you expect red wolves and other animals to be more, or less, active at night time? What activities do you think red wolves carry out at night? What else can we tell about the wolves from these photos? What other animals would you expect to see at night in this habitat?
About the author:Mark MacAllister is the Project Coordinator for Field Trip Earth.
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