Specimen Collection 2

Later this spring, we'll be working with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to collect additional coyote specimens. The department carries out predator culling initiatives annually to reduce coyote depredation of pronghorn fawns. This is important because pronghorn populations are lower than they should be, and coyote populations are likely at an all-time high. Conservation is all about maintaining population sizes of species, such that they aren't above carrying capacity or below a critical population size required to maintain genetic diversity and viability.

We will accompany the Arizona Game and Fish Department on the predator culling operations to collect ticks, blood, and skin from additional coyotes. The same animals that are culled will donate specimens to both our project and the Arizona Department of Health Services for surveillance of other zoonotic diseases.

The coyotes that are culled and sampled are therefore being used for multiple purposes. This type of collaboration results in good stewardship of our natural resources, and overall fewer animals that are affected by our sampling methods.

Your pledge will enable us to purchase the necessary supplies for this part of our research. These are simple things like syringes, scalpels, and serum tubes. For reference, 100 syringes costs about as much as two weeks worth of $3 coffees. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to consider making a small pledge and helping to advance scientific discovery. Here's the link. Thanks!