Yellowstone National Park’s ‘Psychedelic’ Wolves: Using Thermal Imagery To Study Disease

A wolf howls in yellow. They sleep in blue. And a wolf in motion in the sunlight is a rainbow.

A recent testing of thermal imaging with wolves at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana, revealed the ‘color’ (temperature) of the animals while engaged in various activities. The experiment produced some stunning photographs of psychedelically hued wolves, but more importantly allowed scientists to perfect the technique for an upcoming research project in Yellowstone National Park.

Paul Cross, a U.S. Geological Survey disease ecologist, and Doug Smith, leader of Yellowstone’s Wolf Project, hope the use of thermal imaging will help determine how mange impacts the survival of Yellowstone’s wolves.

Sarcoptic mange was introduced into the Northern Rockies in 1909 by state wildlife veterinarians in an attempt to help eradicate local wolf and coyote populations. Scientists believe the troublesome mite that causes the disease persisted among coyotes and foxes after wolves were exterminated. Since their return to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in 1995, wolves appeared to be free of mange until 2002.

Recent studies show that about a quarter of the wolf packs in Yellowstone are afflicted with sarcoptic mange, a highly contagious canine skin disease caused when the mites burrow into the skin causing infections, hair loss, severe irritation and an insatiable desire to scratch. Although the disease itself is not fatal, the resulting hair loss and depressed vigor of the animal can often lead to the potentially life-threatening conditions of hypothermia, malnutrition, and dehydration.

The spots of hair lost by mange on the wolves display bright red on the thermal images, making it easy to detect on the animals. The research team will establish remote cameras in Yellowstone's backcountry to help gain a better understanding of the infection rates from year-to-year, the role mange plays in the lives of the wolves, and the reasons why some wolves recover from the disease while others succumb.

Dr. Smith, who has led the wolf project in Yellowstone since 1996, hopes this technology will yield some insights on the pervasive disease.

“What we hope to do is learn about how much heat wolves are losing through hair loss from mange, then determine the energy cost of this and see if this may be a factor in whether or not they survive," he said.

The idea for using thermal imaging came from Dr. Cross observing its use in veterinary medicine: “I had seen the technology used for early diagnosis of foot-and-mouth disease. But we are interested in more than diagnosis. Actual diagnosis may be just as easy with typical remote cameras, but the thermal cameras also help us to estimate the energy costs associated with heat loss in winter. This is our primary aim: what are the calorie costs associated with mange infections.”

Dr. Cross believes this is the first time thermal imaging has been used to study the effects of a disease in wildlife. Now that the testing phase is over, the research in Yellowstone is slated to begin in February.

The research is being conducted by the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in collaboration with the National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park and the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana. For more information visit this site.