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By Greg Bartlett

Certain species of animals are becoming endangered or threatened, and researchers are constantly seeking ways to protect the animals. Part of the difficulty is being able to track the animals and observe them in their habitats.

However, technology now allows researchers to study and protect animals without being physically present.

GPS tracking devices are one effective option which allows researchers to study animals and their activities and to gather data to help discover ways to protect animals. For instance, in Alaska, researchers put GPS devices on 10 sandhill cranes and watched their migratory patterns. They were able to see where the birds went, tracking their progress in California, Washington, and Oregon before their return flight. While sandhill cranes are not a threatened species, being able to observe them is an example of how GPS tracking can be used to help monitor other, endangered species.

Other researchers are using GPS devices to track the endangered whale shark, monitoring their activities for months so that they can collect data to help find a way to protect the sharks before they become extinct. In Florida, some researchers put GPS tracking devices onto leatherback turtles, an endangered species, so that they could follow their progress and study their activities. They were even able to locate hatchlings through the GPS data and to help rescue some of the babies who got stuck away from the ocean.

Lynx, a threatened species, are being reintroduced into Colorado. Some of the lynx have been outfitted with collars and GPS devices, and through the GPS data, researchers recently were able to discover 10 new lynx kittens, an indication that the reintroduction program is successful. Furthermore, GPS data has given researchers information about lynx habitats, movement corridors, and breeding habits. They have also been monitoring the impact of human activities and of the forest’s health on the lynx. Researchers in Colorado are even using GPS to study hares which the lynx eat and which help to ensure litters of lynx kittens if there are plenty of hares available for the lynx to eat.

Humans shoulder an important role in protecting endangered species. Researchers seeking to discover ways to protect the disappearing animals can use GPS devices to give them the precise location of a particular animal, which will enable them to track its movements, patterns, and activities. With the knowledge GPS can provide, researchers are one step closer to protecting endangered species.