K’gari QPWS rangers, BNTAC rangers and QPS staff were treated to an afternoon one-hour session with renowned wildlife researcher Professor Dan MacNulty, learning about the similarities of Yellowstone National Park visitor and wildlife risk mitigation management to the K’gari management program. Let’s just say the rangers were glad they don’t work with bears on K’gari.

Dan led us through the work he and his colleagues have undertaken in the wolf behaviour space over three decades. Staff had an opportunity to catch up with Dan after the presentation. Dan had a particular interest in meeting the K’gari rangers so stopped by during the Queensland leg of his Australia visit.

Dan MacNulty is a Professor in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University.

Dan works at the interface of animal behaviour, population biology, and community ecology to address basic and applied questions in ecology and conservation. He began his research career in 1995 as a field technician in Yellowstone National Park with David Mech and he assisted with wolf reintroduction and post-release wolf monitoring. He has conducted research related to Yellowstone wolves ever since.

Much of Daniel’s research centres on understanding the ecological consequences of wolf reintroduction as part of several long-term, collaborative studies of carnivores, ungulates, and plants in northern Yellowstone National Park. 

His many publications for both scientific and general audiences include the books Yellowstone Wolves: Science and Discovery in the World’s First National Park and Wolves on the Hunt: The Behaviour of Wolves Hunting Wild Prey.

Article contributed by Linda Behrendorff, QPWS K’gari Senior Ranger NRM