A wildlife biologist at the Grand Canyon in Arizona is using his specially trained dog to steer elk and bighorn sheep in the park away from overeager human visitors and keep the animals in place in the future.

It is part of the Grand Canyon Conservancy's Wildlife Conservation K-9 Program. The strategy is called "aversive conditioning," teaching the elk and bighorn sheep to avoid dangerous interactions with people. Scientists have trained "Blue," a Catahoula leopard dog, to help with the task in Grand Canyon National Park.

Brady Dunne, Blue's owner and a wildlife biologist at the canyon, said the effort relies on age-old instincts.

"Blue is literally representing a wolf," Dunne explained. "Blue is speaking the language that elk need to understand that an area is not safe to spend time in."

Visitors are supposed to stay at least 100 feet away from elk but often do not, which can create the threat of an elk stomping. Dunne bought Blue on his own and came up with the idea but said without a grant from the Grand Canyon Conservancy, it would not be happening.

Despite relying on a method emphasizing animal instincts, Dunne pointed out there is a high-tech aspect to the research.

"It's very scientific," Dunne emphasized. "It's a three-year study that's going to use collared GPS elk and bighorn to show us where they can and cannot be."

If Blue is successful and the collared elk stay in safe areas, Dunne added wildlife biologists could expand the program in the future.

Source: Public News Service