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Why do wolves howl? Why does your dog bark? Why does any animal communicate, for that matter? And what is unique about human language? Those are questions behind a long-term research effort by Yellowstone's Wolf Project team known as The Cry Wolf Project. The Cry Wolf Project is a long-term bioacoustics research initiative based in Yellowstone National Park that has assembled the largest database of wild wolf vocalizations in the world — over 200,000 hours of recordings — in pursuit of one of nature's most profound questions: what are wolves actually saying when they howl? 

TED Talk by Jeffrey Reed

Along the way, the project developed GrizCam, an AI-powered multisensory recording unit that captures panoramic video, spatial audio, and real-time species detection in the most remote and rugged terrain on earth. That technology now serves four interconnected conservation goals: advancing field science by giving biologists unprecedented tools to study elusive wildlife; incenting private landowners to steward habitat through automated, AI-verified wildlife monitoring — and helping reduce predator-livestock conflicts through science-backed acoustic deterrence; combating wildlife crime by giving enforcement agencies real-time detection and geolocation of illegal activity in the field; and building the digital wild by creating immersive connections between people and the natural world. The moonshot is to decode wolf communication as fully as humanly possible — and in doing so, build something with the potential to transform terrestrial conservation across the globe.

Wildlife is often monitored using trail cameras, but increasingly "sound" is proving to be a more effecient approach. Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) is a cost-effective, noninvasive method for surveying wolves, often outperforming camera traps in detection probability. Wolves are loud...think "car horn" loud...so they can be heard from miles away. While bioacoustic monitoring isn’t new, modern hardware as well AI advances in software have significantly reduced costs and boosted productivity in telemetry work. We follow the ethical framework outlined by the NYU MOTH Program.

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 Yellowstone National Park at 5:49 PM on November 15, 2023. 

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A new cell-phone-sized device—which can be deployed in vast, remote areas—is using AI to identify and geolocate wildlife...

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A new way to help protect wildlife.

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In order to capture 24-hour audio, Grizzly Systems spearheaded the development of a new recorder with extended battery life and a compact design.

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Using AI and bioacoustics, America's first national park stands at the forefront of global efforts to translate the sonorous communication of wolves.

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Decoding the Howl
49:44
Decoding the Wolf Howl
11:10
Using AI to Study Wolves in Yellowstone
12:31
Using AI to Decode the Elk Bugle
04:50
Can AI Help Us Speak with Wolves? | Jeffrey T. Reed | TED
11:23
Episode #198 Jeff Reed - Bioacoustics & Cry Wolf Project
01:12:52
Interspecies Data Collection and Interaction: The Data Logger Project
01:02:42
Beyond the Trail Cam: Conservation Technology that Matters (and Doesn't)
21:58

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