Caribou Track Describe Behaviour
As part of our caribou studies, ES students wanted to understand the behaviour of caribou near highways. About a dozen caribou from the southern lakes herd are killed on highways annually. How caribou approach roads and the extent to which highway traffic sounds affect their behaviour are questions we hoped to address through studying tracks as caribou approach highways.
ES students on snowshoes back tracked caribou tracks, starting at highway crossings. They followed their tracks mapping them with GPS. We then downloaded the track maps on orthophotos of the region. We found that caribou moved parallel to the highway for more than a kilometer before approaching the highway. Prior to that parallel track, caribou had moved toward the highway, feeding and resting as they went.
.
As part of our caribou studies, ES students wanted to understand the behaviour of caribou near highways. About a dozen caribou from the southern lakes herd are killed on highways annually. How caribou approach roads and the extent to which highway traffic sounds affect their behaviour are questions we hoped to address through studying tracks as caribou approach highways.
ES students on snowshoes back tracked caribou tracks, starting at highway crossings. They followed their tracks mapping them with GPS. We then downloaded the track maps on orthophotos of the region. We found that caribou moved parallel to the highway for more than a kilometer before approaching the highway. Prior to that parallel track, caribou had moved toward the highway, feeding and resting as they went.
.