The King's Connection Magazine Volume 24 // Number 1 | Page 11

CAMPUS NEWS

WILDLIFE + HUMANS | HOW WE SHARE SPACE

S

canning over 300,000 images of wild ungulates—
a group of animals that includes elk, deer, and moose—
fourth-year biology student IAN MACLEOD explores the
impact of wildlife friendly fences. As part of an Alberta
Tourism, Parks and Recreation (TPR) pilot research project,
MacLeod—under the direction of DR. DARCY VISSCHER,
adjunct professor of biology—conducted a study aimed at
understanding how ungulates, specifically elk, negotiate
both traditional and wildlife friendly fences that surround
the Wainwright Dunes Ecological Reserve (WDER). The
wildlife-friendly fences have been established and tested
by TPR to determine their value in addressing the chronic
human-wildlife conflict issues related to the fencing used
in areas grazed by cattle.
The images were taken by remote cameras placed along
the perimeter fence of the WDER. Fences, a necessity due
to grazing in the reserve and the surrounding area, reduce
the ability for wild animals like elk to travel obstruction free.
Where traditional fences have four strands of barb wire,
wildlife friendly fences are modified three strand fences that
potentially allow animals to cross the fence with greater ease.
MacLeod’s data analyses found that by raising the lower
strand and lowering the top strand, as is done for wildlife
friendly fences, elk changed their behaviour in how they cross
the fence increasing the proportion of time they went under
the fence rather than through or over the fence. By providing
these crossing options wildlife friendly fences may reduce
both injuries to the crossing animals and animal-related
damage to fences.
“Coming from a farming background, I had an interest in
better understanding wildlife management and its relationship
to farming communities,” says MacLeod. “The project allowed
me to complete a detailed examination of animal behaviour
and gain environmental research skills.”
Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, which has a
mandate to encourage collaboration with other academic
groups, approached Dr. Visscher with the research project.
Dr. Visscher asked MacLeod to complete the project during
a paid summer research position that morphed into a Biology
497 senior project—a requirement to complete a bachelor
of science degree at King’s.
“As part of this project Ian spent over 600 hours scanning
images to better understand the movement of wildlife in
the park. He found out first-hand the amount of data and
the kind of examination needed to complete a study of
animal behaviour,” says Visscher. “Ian is an ambassador
for the kind of student research King’s students
successfully complete.”

“This co-operative project between the TPR and The King’s
University College clearly demonstrates how leveraging
resources (people and dollars) allows both land managers
(the TPR) and academia to reach their goals in a way that may
not be possible otherwise,” says Ksenija Vujnovic from Alberta
Tourism, Parks & Recreation. “By financially supporting Ian’s
summer work on this research project through the Alberta
Parks Internal Research Fund, TPR has gained a high quality
of data processing, analyses and reporting. Our Ministry also
greatly benefited from the critical thinking Ian has put into this
project to explore additional aspects of the research which he
worked on during the fall months on his own initiative. Based
on this experience, we are now exploring with Dr. Visscher
the possibility of entering into more formal partnership with
the University College in the near future.”
In March, MacLeod presented his findings at the Annual
General Meeting of the Buffalo Park Grazing Association
in the Wainwright area and to a group of colleagues at the
Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society Conference in Jasper.
Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation continues gathering
data and will combine them with MacLeod’s findings that will
contribute to the development of a strategy for what types of
fences should be used in Alberta’s parks. 

“Ian has done his work at the high
standards of publishable quality,
demonstrating the ability of the
undergraduate students to meaningfully
contribute to ‘real world’ science-based
decision making.
Staff from TPR who
worked with Ian
on this project have
greatly enjoyed his
professionalism
and enthusiasm.”
– Ksenija Vujnovic, Alberta
Tourism, Parks & Recreation

Ian MacLeod, Dr. Darcy Visscher

The King’s Connection /// Summer 2014 /// 9