A recent study led by William F. Fagan and a team of international collaborators has revealed that wild canids, including wolves, foxes, and coyotes, exhibit structured travel routes within their territories, setting them apart from their feline counterparts. The research, which involved 177 collaborators worldwide, utilized modern GPS technology to analyze the movement patterns of various carnivore species. These results highlight the need to understand these movement behaviors if we are to predict and manage human-wildlife encounters and use in our conservation strategies.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, highlights the significance of organizing conservation areas to protect endangered species from threats such as poaching. Fagan stresses that learning the new normal animal movement patterns is key. Understanding this gives us the ability to predict when and where humans will be interacting with wildlife, and this informs the creation of effective conservation strategies.
Insights from the Workshop
Fagan and his collaborators were recently hosted at the University of Maryland’s Brin Mathematics Research Center to lead such a workshop. This day-long event was all about learning how animal movement and proximity to humans affects disease spread. Fagan explained that this kind of interdisciplinary approach is necessary to tackle wildlife management challenges in an ever more urbanized world.
The research team’s findings on the ways that different carnivore species interact with and use space offer important lessons to conservationists. Fagan remarked, “We found that carnivore species use space in fundamentally different ways.” He explained that members of the canine family use space in a much more systematic fashion. They do seem to have a strong favoritism for certain travel routes, sub-species members of the dog family.
“Given the inherent heterogeneity in such a large, global dataset, the magnitude and consistency of these differences is striking,” stated Justin M. Calabrese, senior author and head of the Earth System Science research group at CASUS in Germany.
Methodology and Findings
Fagan’s team was able to figure this out by analyzing thousands of hours of GPS tracking data. They developed maps of probability ridges that reveal the preferred movement patterns of carnivores. It turns out, canids like to walk along well-defined paths. In comparison, felids have a much freer traversal of their landscape where they do not depend on particular connectors to travel.
Fagan visualized that the distinctions within these groups become stark when looking at what she calls common terrains. “We suspect that this split reflects deep evolutionary differences in how these species navigate and find their way around,” he stated. This understanding would be useful to make sense of common phenomena—for example, why pets often return to the same spots or venture into novel places.
The project’s past roots can be found in email threads between the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as a modest effort among private/public contacts blossomed. It morphed into a massive participatory experiment for comparative carnivore movement which generated the world’s largest dataset on the topic.
Implications for Conservation
The ramifications of Fagan’s work go beyond mere scholarly interest. Recognizing the value of concentrated travel corridors is key to future wildlife conservation initiatives. By anticipating where animals are likely to travel, conservationists can implement measures to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts and protect vulnerable species from illegal activities.
To protect safe habitats for endangered species, Fagan said it is crucial to plan conservation areas thoughtfully. By integrating movement pattern analysis into conservation planning, stakeholders can better allocate resources and devise strategies to protect wildlife in their natural environments.