Idaho Wolverine Trapped Tagged and Released
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January 26, 2009
Idaho Falls, Idaho - When a local Menan recreational trapper headed out to check his
bobcat trap set, probably the last thing he expected to find was a
wolverine.
Wolverines are secretive animals whose numbers and travels still
remain a mystery. Fortunately, the incidental trapping of this
young male wolverine will help provide biologists with a new
chapter in the study of wolverines in Idaho.
The wolverine might not agree, but the timing of this incident
couldn't have been better in relation to a wildlife management
partnership that was created last year in Eastern Idaho. The Idaho
Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Forest Service and the Wildlife
Conservation Society together created a professional biologist
position dedicated to manage the large predators that inhabit the
Upper Snake Region.
Bryan Aber, a Forest Service wildlife biologist on the Caribou-Targhee
National Forest, had his job morphed into a jointly funded
position responsible for wolves, grizzly bears and wolverines.
Wolverines are a protected nongame species, and thanks to a modern
foothold trap, the animal could be sedated and removed without
incident. It was then whisked by Aber to the Driggs Veterinary
Clinic, vets who have helped with wolverine research in the past.
After a thorough checkup, doctors implanted an internal radio
transmitter in the young male wolverine to allow wildlife
biologists to track his movements.
Past research using internal transmitters has proven successful.
The tapered body of wolverines make use of traditional radio
collars difficult, but the animal was also fitted with a GPS
tracking collar that will provide exact time and location data for
as long as it stays on the animal.
After a brief holding period, the animal was transported and
released in habitat that is considered to be better suited for
wolverines. Aber and other biologists will track the wolverine's
movements, hoping to learn what attracted the animal to the area. |
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