Ga. Study On Coyotes Aims To Help Deer Fawns Survive

White-tailed deer fawns, by their youth and size, are an easy target for most coyotes.
Researchers in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina hope to figure out how to protect the fawn, to some extent, by studying coyote behavior.
“We would potentially try to see if we could make alterations to the environment to change how coyotes are behaving thereby influencing the probability that they will prey on fawns,” says Dr. Michael Chamberlain, a professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Georgia.


Chamberlain says the coyotes are seriously threatening the fawns in the Southeast.  Starting next week, researchers will trap, tag and monitor the coyotes over the next two years throughout the three states.

Coyotes pose a serious threat to white-tailed deer fawns says Dr. Michael Chamberlain, a professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Georgia.

Credit USFWS Mountain-Prairie / Flickr.com/usfwsmtnprairie

“Ultimately can we take that information and manipulate the landscape to influence coyote behavior, thereby influencing their impacts on their prey,” says Chamberlain.
The coyotes will not be harmed during the trapping and tagging process.
DNA samples will also be studied to help determine colonization routes.

http://wabe.org/post/ga-study-coyotes-aims-help-deer-fawns-survive