Why do wolves howl? That’s one of the central questions behind a long-term research effort in the Greater Yellowstone region known as The Cry Wolf Bioacoustics Project. Bioacoustics—the study of sounds made by living organisms—is unlocking new ways to understand and protect wildlife. The Cry Wolf Project has collected the largest repository of wild wolf vocalizations in the world and is a powerful example of how public and private sectors can work together, using cutting-edge technology to enhance government efficiency, support wildlife law enforcement, fuel rewilding and conservation efforts, and even help reduce conflicts between predators and livestock.
Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) is proving to be a cost-effective, noninvasive method for surveying wolves, often outperforming camera traps in detection probability. Grizzly Systems, our tech partner, is developing the next generation of camera traps and acoustic recording units that use artificial intelligence to sort through mountains of data and reveal the sound and motion that matters. While bioacoustic monitoring isn’t new, AI advances have significantly reduced costs and boosted productivity in telemetry work. The Cry Wolf Project leverages technology from Google DeepMind, Microsoft AI, Colossal Biosciences AI, and our own efforts. And we partner with some of the world's smartest scientists in Yellowstone (and outside). The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem offers an ideal setting for this work, thanks to decades of data from radio collaring, aerial surveys, camera traps, and field observations.
This is the howl of 907F—one-eyed, legendary, and among the longest-lived and most prolific wolves in Yellowstone’s history. She made this call alone, deep in the wilds of the Greater Yellowstone, recorded at 5:49 PM on November 15, 2023.
Our moonshot is to decode wolf communication as fully as humanly possible, and help humans get back to a place of mutual respect with the natural world. In the process, we’re building something with the potential to transform global conservation, all rooted in the incredible research happening right here in Yellowstone. Through our technology and research, we aim to:
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Advance Field Science: GrizCam gives biologists the ability to monitor elusive species, study behavior, and analyze ecosystems with unprecedented efficiency. Our AI-powered, solar-enabled cameras gather rich, real-time data in remote, extreme environments—at a fraction of traditional research costs.
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Incent Private Landowners: American Prairie Reserve and PERC have used camera traps to pay ranchers for the mere presence of wildlife on their habitat. The problem with this "Payment for Presence" model is that it doesn’t scale. It requires humans to process the images, count the species over time, and then pay the rancher. Much of agricultural land is habitat for wildlife, and if we want to keep it that way, projects like “Payment for Presence”, if automated, can help. Not to mention, battery-operated surveillance for large private landowners helps them monitoring trespassing, poaching, predation, and infrastructure (such as whether a watering tank is full).
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Combat Wildlife Crime: From poaching rings to drug and trafficking networks, illegal wildlife trade funds some of the world’s darkest economies. GrizCam helps enforcement teams detect and respond to threats faster—disrupting these operations at the source.
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Build the Digital Wild: We believe that conservation begins with connection. GrizCam creates immersive, real-time windows into the natural world, sparking curiosity, education, and advocacy for the next generation of ecologists, philanthropists, and changemakers.
Platinum Partners
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