Latest news with #GPSCollars
BBC News
5 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Highland red deer tracked by GPS in behaviour study
Researchers have fitted GPS collars on red deer in the west Highlands to help track their movement and devices will be fitted on 22 stags while GPS ear tags have also been placed on six calves to help monitor them as they travel through the landscape with their mothers. The study, involving sporting estates and conservation organisations, is a partnership between the charity Affric Highlands and Durham hope their findings will help with efforts to keep deer populations healthy and sustainable and with the restoration of native habitats like woodlands. Dr Eilidh Smith from Durham University said they would be tracking and mapping red deer movements to assess their seasonal migrations and home range added that this would build knowledge of how they respond to human activities such as fencing, culling and commercial Williamson, field officer for Affric Highlands, said red deer were a vital part of Scotland's upland landscapes and rural economies – but "increased populations have led to challenges in balancing ecological health, biodiversity, and land management objectives."She said strengthening understanding of how the animals moved across estates and habitats was "key to recovering ecosystems and improving deer health."
CBS News
30-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Michigan moose tracking project provides researchers with data points on births, deaths
A moose tracking project that started in February is providing new information on the lives of wild animals in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Earlier this year, 20 moose in the Upper Peninsula were captured and fitted with GPS collars in a first-of-its-kind effort in Michigan. The collars transmit locations once an hour and each device will work for several years. An additional 40 moose will be fitted with collars next winter. The latest tracking data tipped off Michigan Department of Natural Resources staff to the birth of nine calves within the past two weeks, according to a report Thursday from the DNR staff. More specifically: Three of the tracked cows had single calves and three others had twins. "By watching each moose's daily step distance, we could detect when the cows were likely going into labor. Once her movement patterns changed dramatically, heat-sensing drones were used to observe her and the calves," the DNR said. In the meantime, two calves that were caught and collared in February have died. One death was attributed to an unknown trauma injury. The other was attributed to a predator death by a female wolf who is registered in a different wildlife tracking effort. "What makes this moment significant is that it marks a first for Michigan's most in-depth study of moose mortality - and builds a clearer picture of how moose function in the ecosystem," the press release said. The images and videos collected in the research project are part of a collaboration among the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Northern Michigan University.
