Wood River Wolf Project

The project started in 2008 in Blaine County, Idaho, as a short-term study to understand the effectiveness of nonlethal methods to deter wolves from preying on livestock. 18 years on, the project has experienced tremendous success through an engagement programme that works with local stakeholders to support coexistence between the people, their livestock and wolves.

Wolf predation on livestock has significant consequences for the livelihoods of farmers, leading to conflicts between humans and wildlife and often resulting in the persecution of predators. The repercussions extend beyond the immediate conflict, as the loss of native predators has far-reaching negative effects on the overall health of ecosystems.

WRWP exemplifies the power of collaboration among stakeholders with divergent interests. By joining forces to identify effective, non-lethal solutions for conflicts with wolves, this project successfully reduces tension for the people that share the landscape with this important, keystone species.

As part of their work, the WRWP’s team deploy 25 cameras over 57 sites in the landscape, taking an adaptive approach to monitoring - by using their detective skills, the team look for tracks and signs to indicate where wolves may be present, place the cameras out to monitor the site and then move them towards any activity that they capture.

By using this flexible approach, they can keep a close eye on wolf movements in relation to sheep flocks and react quickly to alert and supply herders in the area with non-lethal equipment. In one instance, the field team detected a flock of sheep moving through the landscape and less than 12 hours later, captured wolves in the exact same spot! Thanks to their quick response, there have been no reported issues.

The 2026 season marks the fourth consecutive year of no wolf related sheep depredations in the project area, proving that the non-lethal, collaborative effort is working for both wild and domestic animals. Research has shown that their non-lethal methods to deter livestock predation are at least 3.5 times more effective than traditional lethal wolf control measures.

Whilst this ongoing success is a cause for celebration, such a contentious subject is ever-changing as wolf populations face many threats. The work of WRWP continues to be a benchmark for collaborative and solutions driven wildlife management and conservation.

Trail cameras enable WRWP to record wolves in the Wood River Valley and alert herders to potential high-conflict zones. Crucially, this footage is providing evidence of wolves and sheep inhabiting the same area while non-lethal deterrent tools have been in use, documenting their effectiveness.

NatureSpy are pleased to be supporting WRWP through the loan of NatureSpy and Browning trail cameras that have expanded the teams’ toolkit. Additional technical guidance also ensures that WRWP can get the most out of the cameras in the wild, helping to provide clear images of wolf presence and behaviour over extended periods of time