Gray wolf habitat use in response to visitor activity along roadways in Yellowstone National Park

Abstract

AbstractUnderstanding the behavioral responses of large carnivores to human activity in protected areas is important for conserving top predators. Roads and associated vehicle traffic have a range of impacts on wildlife, including mortality from vehicle collisions and behavioral changes from increasing traffic levels. Roads concentrate human activities and may be particularly impactful when located adjacent to high‐quality habitat for wildlife. However, people often overlook road impacts in protected areas because of relatively low road densities. From 1979 to 2017, annual visits to Yellowstone National Park increased from 1.9 to 4.1 million, with many visitors in the last 25 yr focusing on the opportunity to view wild wolves (Canis lupus) in their natural habitat from the roadway. To better understand how human activity interacts with landscape attributes and prey availability to shape wolf habitat use, we developed seasonal and diel‐specific step selection functions (SSF) for wolves. Wolves responded to increased human activity by using areas farther from roadways during the day and during peak visitation in summer. Prey availability, as estimated by an elk SSF, did not significantly alter habitat selection patterns by wolves. The strength of habitat selection in relation to roads varied among wolf packs. The most heavily viewed wolf packs exhibited less road avoidance, suggesting increased tolerance, which could lead to increased vulnerability to human harvest if they leave the park. Federal and state managers have implemented several measures to mitigate disturbance effects to wolves and curtail habituation. These results may inform adaptive management strategies that seek to continue to conserve natural wolf behavior.