WCS Annual Report 2012 - Wildlife Conservation Society

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wildlife conservation society Annual Report 2012
[ above ] WCS is working
to better understand the
behavior of wolverines
like these in Montana’s
Gravelly Range.
expanded this year to include the Goualougo
Triangle, a 1,636-square-mile area home to a
rare population of so-called “naïve” chimpanzees,
first identified by WCS conservationist
Mike Fay. These apes have had so little exposure
to humans that they investigate the conservationists
who study them instead of running away.
WCS is working to protect the chimps from
increased hunting pressure, habitat loss, and
outbreaks of diseases such as Ebola.
In CAR, WCS conservationist Andrea
Turkalo has studied forest elephants for nearly
two decades at Dzanga Bai, one of many forest
clearings where these mammoth herbivores
often congregate with a host of other large
mammals, including bongo, forest buffalo, and
giant forest hogs. Unlike many other protected
areas, TNS comprises an intact, ecologically
functional landscape, making its protection all
the more critical. The recognition of this new
site marks the first time the World Heritage
Committee has given its namesake status to
a site spanning three nations.
Documenting Wolverine
Refrigerator Use
Wolverines range over large areas of cold,
mountainous, low-productivity habitat with
persistent snow. Yet these conditions, which
would test most animals’ survival skills, account
for several unique adaptations, including the
ability to store and “refrigerate” their food supply
through tough times. The cold found in snow
pack and crevices plays a particularly important
role in wolverine reproductive success, enabling
them to safeguard their food supply and provide
nutrition for lactating females nursing their young.
A study released in July by WCS and partners
documented wolverines’ use of cold caches to
preserve food sources such as elk, caribou, and
moose carrion. Notes lead author Bob Inman
of the WCS North America program, “People
don’t normally think of insects and microbes as
being in competition for food with wolverines.
But in fact bacteria devour unprotected food.”
These chilled, structured chambers provide
protection of food from scavengers, insects
and bacteria.