This is what it looks like to be readying for deployment 15 bighorn sheep and 15 mountain goat GPS and VHF collars in your home. We stand to gain a significant amount of ecological information from the deployment of these collars, treading ground in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem that has never been tread before. The ultimate purpose being to benefit the conservation and management of both these regal species throughout the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. To read more about the project, visit www.gyamountainungulateproject.com
To read more about the GPS and VHF collars, visit the Telemetry Studies section in the Science page.
Super website. Mountain goats and big horn sheep sure live amid breathtaking scenery. Hollie Miyasaki gave an excellent presentation to the IMNs. I wonder how she managed to catch goats in the steep and rocky palisades. How will you capture--dart gun? As a past keeper of domestic sheep and goat, all I can say is keep your face away from kicking legs. They are unbelievably powerful. (I caught a case of "hoof in mouth" once. Ouch!) The site mentions that mountain goats are an introduced species. I wonder when? By whom?
ReplyDeleteThanks! There are several capture options, depending on who we are doing the capture with, and where the animals are. We will do: helo net-gunning, ground darting, drop net, and Clover trap. Hopefully, I will get to posting about these later!
ReplyDeleteYes, the hooves are terrifying. Worse are slicing mountain goat horns! We will be using drugs to immobilize them, so this will reduce risk considerably.
The mountain goats were introduced mostly in the 1950's to areas north of Yellowstone, and then later (maybe the 70's?) in the Palisades in Idaho (Hollie Miyasaki's goats). "Non native" as in there is no collective memory or evidence they have ever occupied these areas before these introductions. And by who?? Well...biologists! For hunting opportunities mostly.