Artificial Intelligence: A New Tool for Preventing Livestock Depredation from Wolves in California

Abstract

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) are a keystone species native to North America, Europe, and Asia (Anderson, 2005). Before European colonization of the Americas, gray wolves inhabited the majority of what is now the United States (Anderson, 2005). Over time, fear for human and livestock safety prompted the near eradication of wolves in the U.S. and the absence of wolves from their native range began to have negative impacts on the ecosystems they once inhabited (Martin, 2020). In 1995, wolves were reintroduced to the U.S. to reverse the negative effects caused by their extirpation. Since then, gray wolves have dispersed through several states and in 2011, the first wolf crossed into California (Kriz, 2019). Human-wolf conflict is increasing as wolves return to California and prey on livestock. Several techniques for reducing livestock depredation have been employed with varying degrees of success (Pellikka, 2019). Effectively reducing livestock depredation and human-wolf conflict may be possible, however, with new technology. Cameras equipped with WildEyesArtificial Intelligence (AI) and remote messaging capabilities have been used in Tibet to reduce livestock depredation from wolves, but they have not been used in the United States yet (Sofisti & Fernando, 2020). This technology could be useful for identifying and researching wolf behavioral patterns, as well as, preventing livestock depredation from gray wolves in California as they repopulate the state. Other states like Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho who also have trouble managing wolves, could potentially benefit from this technology as well.