Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Idaho
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Monitoring the abundance of rare carnivores is a daunting task for wildlife biologists. Many carnivore populations persist at relatively low densities, public interest is high, and the need for rigorous data is great. Recent advances in trail camera technology provide an unprecedented opportunity for biologists to monitor rare species economically. Few studies, however, have conducted rigorous analyses of our ability to estimate abundance of low-density carnivores with cameras. We used remotely triggered trail cameras and a space to event model to estimate gray wolf (Canis lupus) abundance across three study areas in Idaho, USA, 2016-2018. We compared abundance estimates between cameras and noninvasive genetic sampling that had been extensively tested in our study areas. Estimates of mean wolf abundance from camera and genetic surveys were within 22% of one another and 95% CI’s overlapped in 2 of the 3 years. Camera surveys were less than half the cost of genetic surveys once initial camera purchases were made. Our results suggest that cameras can be a viable method for estimating wolf abundance across broad landscapes.