The influence of natural mineral licks on wildlife disease dynamics
Some locations on the landscape can aggregate animals of multiple species and could become hotspots of disease transmission. One example of this are areas of localized concentrations of minerals that animals like deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats use and diseases like chronic wasting disease or respiratory diseases could spread among or within species who use natural mineral licks. NOROCK researchers will be identifying natural mineral licks in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and monitoring the animal species that use them as well as the interactions those species have while at the lick sites. This information will be used to assess the role natural licks have in wildlife disease transmission on the landscape.
Background
Mineral licks –localized concentrations of minerals, in this case, naturally occurring – are readily used by ungulates (hoofed mammals) for mineral supplementation and play an important role in the physiological health of many species. Mineral lick visitation by ungulates may aid disease spread through facilitating species interactions. Additionally, as high-use areas, mineral licks can serve as environmental reservoirs and facilitate disease transmission when individuals interact with contaminated sources such as soils or feces.
Within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), chronic wasting disease (CWD) and respiratory pneumonia are important diseases that impact cervids (deer family) and mountain ungulates, respectively. CWD is expanding across Wyoming and currently has a patchy distribution. While the disease was only recently detected in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), the Wind River Reservation has some of the highest prevalence rates across the state. This effort is a collaboration with state, federal and Tribal biologists with the goal of inventorying and monitoring natural mineral licks across the spectrum of CWD prevalence areas in the GYE. The project expands on other USGS NOROCK work that focuses on agricultural mineral licks and the interactions between livestock and wild ungulates.
Study Objectives
This study aims to work with regional managers to address two initial objectives in western Wyoming, specifically in GTNP, the National Elk Refuge, and the
Wind River Reservation:
1) Identify mineral licks using GPS collar data collected from cervids.
- We will leverage existing animal tracking data from mule deer, elk, and moose to develop novel techniques and tools that identify mineral licks visited by collared ungulates.
2) Inventory and monitor natural mineral licks.
- We will use remote cameras to monitor newly identified and previously known mineral licks in areas used by cervids.
- We will use multiple cameras at each site and a combination of picture and video footage to capture mineral lick use patterns. Specifically, we will quantify the rate and duration of visits, animal to animal contacts, and animal to environment contacts (i.e. naso-oral contacts with conspecifics or environmental sources).
- In addition to the licks identified from GPS data, there are roughly 10 known or suspected licks, which we will begin monitoring in early in the spring, 2025.
Pilot Study
During the pilot phase of this project, we deployed remote cameras on a single low-elevation natural lick site from late-May to late-August of 2024 and observed visitation by different individuals was often in close succession. Behaviors at the lick included soil digging, licking and consumption as well as defecation and urination. The high-use nature of this site further highlights the importance of mineral licks in facilitating indirect animal interaction with the potential for disease transmission. No other point-specific sites in an animal’s home range likely receive the same visitation rates from as many different individuals. As we begin to characterize mineral lick usage by cervids in the initial phase of this project, we will then work to identify the link between mineral lick usage and spatiotemporal disease dynamics in the region.
USGS Chronic Wasting Disease Research at NOROCK
Some locations on the landscape can aggregate animals of multiple species and could become hotspots of disease transmission. One example of this are areas of localized concentrations of minerals that animals like deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats use and diseases like chronic wasting disease or respiratory diseases could spread among or within species who use natural mineral licks. NOROCK researchers will be identifying natural mineral licks in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and monitoring the animal species that use them as well as the interactions those species have while at the lick sites. This information will be used to assess the role natural licks have in wildlife disease transmission on the landscape.
Background
Mineral licks –localized concentrations of minerals, in this case, naturally occurring – are readily used by ungulates (hoofed mammals) for mineral supplementation and play an important role in the physiological health of many species. Mineral lick visitation by ungulates may aid disease spread through facilitating species interactions. Additionally, as high-use areas, mineral licks can serve as environmental reservoirs and facilitate disease transmission when individuals interact with contaminated sources such as soils or feces.
Within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), chronic wasting disease (CWD) and respiratory pneumonia are important diseases that impact cervids (deer family) and mountain ungulates, respectively. CWD is expanding across Wyoming and currently has a patchy distribution. While the disease was only recently detected in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), the Wind River Reservation has some of the highest prevalence rates across the state. This effort is a collaboration with state, federal and Tribal biologists with the goal of inventorying and monitoring natural mineral licks across the spectrum of CWD prevalence areas in the GYE. The project expands on other USGS NOROCK work that focuses on agricultural mineral licks and the interactions between livestock and wild ungulates.
Study Objectives
This study aims to work with regional managers to address two initial objectives in western Wyoming, specifically in GTNP, the National Elk Refuge, and the
Wind River Reservation:
1) Identify mineral licks using GPS collar data collected from cervids.
- We will leverage existing animal tracking data from mule deer, elk, and moose to develop novel techniques and tools that identify mineral licks visited by collared ungulates.
2) Inventory and monitor natural mineral licks.
- We will use remote cameras to monitor newly identified and previously known mineral licks in areas used by cervids.
- We will use multiple cameras at each site and a combination of picture and video footage to capture mineral lick use patterns. Specifically, we will quantify the rate and duration of visits, animal to animal contacts, and animal to environment contacts (i.e. naso-oral contacts with conspecifics or environmental sources).
- In addition to the licks identified from GPS data, there are roughly 10 known or suspected licks, which we will begin monitoring in early in the spring, 2025.
Pilot Study
During the pilot phase of this project, we deployed remote cameras on a single low-elevation natural lick site from late-May to late-August of 2024 and observed visitation by different individuals was often in close succession. Behaviors at the lick included soil digging, licking and consumption as well as defecation and urination. The high-use nature of this site further highlights the importance of mineral licks in facilitating indirect animal interaction with the potential for disease transmission. No other point-specific sites in an animal’s home range likely receive the same visitation rates from as many different individuals. As we begin to characterize mineral lick usage by cervids in the initial phase of this project, we will then work to identify the link between mineral lick usage and spatiotemporal disease dynamics in the region.