Winter is the most incredible time here in the valley. There are just a few permanent residents. Most of the human activity involves the students monitoring elk and wolves. Sometimes there are helicopter captures and darting. Yesterday I observed elk being darted for blood samples, fat content, and other indicators. We’re on the ground calling up to the helicopter the elk locations by radio, while there’s a low flying plane above with the GPS coordinates. The helicopter deftly flies in, keeping the elk from running either into the trees or into Wilderness areas. The elk are running like crazy, trying to figure out which way to go. When they go in one direction, the helicopter swoopes over them and they need to turn around. They look like a flock of starlings turning in synchronicity. This kind of work is only done twice a year. Its tremendously expensive and requires a lot of coordination between many agencies. The planes are government. The helicopter is a private company with expert Kiwis, the best in the world.
Filed under: Wolf | Tagged: Australia, Elk, Tracking, Wolf | Leave a comment »
Leslie Patten Books: Wild Places, Sacred Spaces 