Wildlife caught on cam: Photo project documents Calgary's animal population
A three-year wildlife monitoring project in the city of Calgary has captured more than 100,000 images in an effort to better understand how species and humans interact in natural park spaces.
The Miistakis Institute, a non-profit charitable research group at Mount Royal University, gathered data from 97 motion-activated cameras set up by Calgary Capture across 19 natural area parks from May 2017 to May 2020.
In total, 125,765 images were captured, allowing Calgarians and people around the world to classify wildlife through an online platform called Zooniverse.
“It's incredible how much wildlife we have in the city. I'm sure no one's surprised that both deer and coyotes are very habituated in our city, but we also have moose, red fox, raccoon, cougars, and the odd bear,” said Tracy Lee, project manager for the Miistakis Institute.
“From an educational perspective, I think it helps Calgarians understand that we are coexisting with wildlife, but we could do better and there's things we can do, even just following kind of courtesy or general park rules that are already out there.”
For example, the project also captured more than 200,000 images of dogs that were off-leash and 89 per cent of those were in areas where dogs should be on a leash.
Lee says the study noticed a large majority of natural wildlife coming out at night as a result and helped city workers identify which areas of parks to close off to allow wildlife to flourish undisturbed by human activity.
“We’ve also got cameras now under the new underpasses that have been built to facilitate wildlife movement in the Glenmore Weaselhead and in Fish Creek Provincial Park,” Lee said.
“So there's a really good practical application to test mitigation projects that the city or the province is implementing to try to help facilitate wildlife moving around our city.”
(Supplied/Calgary Captured)
Results from Calgary Captured can now be used as well to facilitate better urban development to protect Calgary’s ecological network.
Landscape analysis supervisor with the City of Calgary, Vanessa Carney, says plans are already in the works.
“Data from Calgary Captured is already informing Calgary Parks’ habitat management decisions,” she said.
“An understanding of how wildlife species make use of our parks and move across the urban landscape give us insight into how the city can better plan for a healthy, connected park system.”
Shana Barbour with the Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society agrees that this project has also given her team of volunteers a strong opportunity to engage with wildlife activity and change their practices in the future.
“It’s a great thing to be involved in such an important partnership, helping to create awareness about the need for coexistence, sharing of parks and green spaces, and actions that we can all take to ensure that wildlife can move and thrive in this busy, urban setting.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Carson Briere, son of Flyers GM Danny, charged for pushing wheelchair down stairs
Three misdemeanour charges were filed Monday against the son of Philadelphia Flyers interim general manager Danny Briere after a video posted on social media showed him and another Mercyhurst University athlete pushing an unoccupied wheelchair down a staircase.

Ottawa board of health member sees outpouring of support after body-shaming message
A member of the city of Ottawa's board of health is speaking out about body shaming after receiving a letter that said she shouldn't serve on the board because of her weight.
'Everyone's devastated': Friends say neuroscientist, 31, missing in Old Montreal fire
A 31-year-old neuroscientist is believed to be among the six people missing after a massive fire in Old Montreal last week. An Wu was staying at the heritage building on Place d'Youville to attend a conference, according to friends and family.
'Targeted inflation relief' coming in 2023 federal budget, Freeland says
The coming 2023 federal budget will 'exercise fiscal restraint' while also making 'significant' investments in health and building Canada's clean economy, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Monday.
1 dead after triple shooting at Fairview Mall parking lot in Toronto
One person is dead and two others are injured following a daylight shooting in the parking lot of Fairview Mall on Monday afternoon.
2 staff members, student suspect injured in stabbing at Halifax-area high school
Two staff members and a student -- who is also the suspect -- have been injured in a stabbing at a high school in Bedford, N.S., according to the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE).
'Absolutely disgusting': B.C. councillor speaks out after Sikh international student swarmed, beaten
An international student was swarmed and beaten by a group of people who ripped off his turban and dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair in Kelowna, B.C., Friday evening, according to a local politician.
Health Canada launches new toll-free number for poison centres
Health Canada has launched a new toll-free number, 1-844-POISON-X, or 1-844-764-7669, to help people across the country access critical medical advice related to poisonings more easily.
Unanswered questions: Montreal mayor calls for meeting with Airbnb after fatal fire
Mayor Valerie Plante said Monday she requested a meeting with an Airbnb executive after a building in Old Montreal — a short-term rental hot spot — was destroyed by a fire that has left six people missing.