header

Winter 2024

Newsletter Archive

 

Calgary Connect: Wildlife adapt their behaviour to co-exist with humans

article image

Ever wondered about the moose, black bear, or bobcat you see in Calgary? Calgary Connect, a long-term wildlife monitoring program in Calgary has just released a five-year technical report. Our biggest takeaways are that mammals from bobcats to moose are navigating into and through Calgary using a network of green spaces and river corridors. Wildlife use of the landscape is correlated with human activity with species following a gradient of avoidance to habituation in higher human use areas. Not all wildlife responds the same to human activity with mule deer less affected by increases in human activity while red fox are highly sensitive to human presence. All species analyzed alter their use of the landscape to times when humans are less active. Imagine, they are adjusting to our behaviour! Another key finding where sites exist for safe travel under high volume roads such as the new Tsuut'ina Trail and Deerfoot Trail, wildlife are taking advantage of the safe crossing opportunity. But increasing vegetation in these areas and ensuring fencing is maintained to direct animals to these crossings will likely increase the frequency and species diversity crossing successfully. Information from the report will be used by our partners to support ecological literacy and management in the urban environment.

Read the full report on our website.

Calgary Connect is generously funded by an anonymous donor at The Calgary Foundation, TD Friends of the Environment and Enbridge. Partners of Calgary Connect include The City of Calgary, Friends of Fish Creek, and Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society.