Wolves are no respecter of boundaries, nor are they intimidated by rough terrain, which makes their population difficult to monitor. Now that they have been delisted as an endangered species under federal law, and Idaho and Montana have instituted hunts, tracking their numbers has become even more important. That’s where a new tool designed by Montana biologists comes in.
Meet the “howlbox,” built from parts easily obtained on the web by Dave Ausband, research associate with the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, and Teresa Loya, wildlife biologist and entrepreneur. About the size of a laptop, it contains a microphone, speakers and a recording device to broadcast howls and record the howls of wolves who respond.
Ausband says that, for him, the device is most useful in tracking wolves moving through mountainous and often impassible terrain where consistent direct observation proves difficult. The current cost of a howlbox is $1680, and ...
