Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Monday, April 16, 2007

INUVIK/AKLAVIK - Most people, if given the choice, would probably choose to use a tranquillizer dart before handling a live wolf.

But Catherine Lambert, a wildlife biologist for the Gwich'in Renewable Resource Board (GRRB) in Inuvik, said it's sometimes just easier to shoot a wolf with a "net gun" from a helicopter, and then wrestle the tangled animal to the ground.

With a few quick motions, she said, a GPS collar can be placed around the animal's neck before the wolf is released.

"It's less stressful for the animals," she explained, saying the process can be done very quickly, without need for drugs and several hours of unconsciousness.

Apparently, the stress felt by a biologist holding a snarling wolf is a secondary concern.

On April 12, Lambert said the GRRB was preparing to add collars to five wolves over the weekend. A few grizzlies, which will be tranquillized, will also be collared in May.

The group is studying what Lambert calls "the web of interaction" between species in the Richardson Mountains, specifically in the area West of Aklavik in the Gwich'in Settlement Area.

Lambert said one of the project's goals is to study predator behavior and learn whether wolves and bears are eating the sheep.

She added this relatively isolated sheep herd has declined by about 50 per cent since 1997 in the studied region, but seem to be remaining steady today, which is unexplained.

"Are the bears eating the sheep? It's unlikely they are eating adults, but maybe they eat a few lambs," she said.

The study will also look at space used by animals to determine how development might affect the sheep's numbers, she said.

One interesting fact about GPS collars is that they pop off automatically.

After a year and a half, two bolts automatically become loose when a timer expires, and the collars fall off.

"We only have to meet the animal once," she said.

In the case of grizzlies, Lambert said biologists place ear tags to identify the bears, clip their nails for DNA samples, and also remove a tooth while the animals are unconscious.

These teeth can be counted "like the rings of a tree," she said, to determine the animal's age.

She added biologists sometimes add a smear of bright colour on a bear's head, which lasts only a few days, to prevent the animal from being stopped twice.

Other ways of learning about the animals include watching the animals from afar, studying their diet, measuring snow conditions and interviewing hunters, Lambert added.

Asked why the GRRB was interested in Dall's sheep, Lambert said the animals are very important.

By understanding predators and herds in the region, she said, there was perhaps a better chance of understanding how Northern ecosystems work.

This might lead to insight on the Barren-Ground caribou, which live nearby, or help discover why Dall's sheep numbers suffered a sudden drop.

But of course, there are challenges.

"Sometimes the wolves chew off the collars," she said.