A Future for Northwest Carnivores

Carnivores such as wolverines, Canada lynx, black bears, wolves, cougars, fishers, and martens call the Cascade Mountains home. This range is one of the only places in the contiguous US to support these iconic and, often, rare species.

Climate change and human disturbance are threats to these species, and monitoring their populations is important for effective conservation.

Woodland Park Zoo has been developing and employing methods to monitor carnivores in remote and rugged locales. These methods enable us to track their recovery in local ecosystems, and their response to human disturbance and climate change.

We have successfully developed and employed noninvasive methods—methods that don’t require capturing wild animals and that, therefore, can eliminate handling and stress—for surveying rare species that inhabit large areas and are difficult to study. This includes a high-tech scent dispenser and camera-trap protocol that is being adopted widely by researchers.

Hope for Northwest Carnivores

Project Collaboration

We are developing monitoring frameworks that are effective for multiple species simultaneously, which reduces costs and maximizes resources, allowing agencies and managers to more effectively track and conserve difficult to survey species.

Developing Better Data

Our monitoring methods complement cutting-edge data analysis techniques—including artificial intelligence and machine learning—which are increasingly providing more detailed and useful information about wild animal populations.

VISIT

Make your day and a difference. When you visit Woodland Park Zoo, you directly support our conservation mission.

DONATE

Make a gift of any size to support this work and assure a future for wildlife here and around the world.

ADOPT

Show your wildlife love with a symbolic adoption that supports our animal care, education and conservation efforts.