Scientists track wolves in snowy mountains of eastern Türkiye

KARS

A team of researchers is braving the harsh winter conditions of eastern Türkiye to track and monitor the wolf population in Kars’ Sarıkamış district, providing crucial insights into the region’s wildlife ecosystem.

As part of a project, carried out with permission from the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, the team from KuzeyDoğa Association is surveying the snow-covered Allahuekber, Soğanlı and Hamamlı mountains.

With temperatures plummeting to minus 20 degrees Celsius, the seven-member team navigates the rugged terrain on foot, often using traditional snowshoes known as “hedik” to access remote areas. Their goal is to estimate the number of wolves in the region and study their behavior during winter.

The researchers analyze footprints in the snow and collect fur samples, scat and prey remains to understand the wolves’ diet and movement patterns.

“This study aims to determine whether the wolves we previously tracked belong to a pack and, if so, to identify the pack’s size,” said Emrah Çoban, the scientific coordinator of KuzeyDoğa.

“By following their tracks in the snow, we can examine how they move, how close they get to food sources and their feeding habits.”

The team also utilizes satellite transmitters attached to wolves in previous years.

“So far, we have detected signals from two tagged wolves — one in a pack of four, the other in a pack of three — moving through rural areas of Sarıkamış,” Çoban noted.

“We even encountered one wolf that lingered long enough for us to capture footage using drone and cameras, helping us document their winter behavior.”