Do you wonder what the animals are up to in Stanley Park when people are not there? Us, too! There are several wildlife trails around Lost Lagoon and Beaver Lake that indicate some mammals are regularly exiting the water and using these paths. You can recognize a wildlife trail from vegetation that is absent or flattened down. In the case of a beaver trail, mud is often left behind from the beaver dragging trees. We were curious to see which animals were using a specific trail, so we installed a trail camera on the night of January 30 near the beaver lodge in Lost Lagoon. Here are a few candid animal shots!
It’s difficult to tell if these are all the same beaver, but it is interesting to see at what time they are using this wildlife “highway”. A crow, raccoon, skunk, and river otter also use the path!
Trail cameras are powerful tools to research animal populations and to better understand wildlife behavior. As part of the Co-Existing with Coyotes program, our program coordinator places a number of trail cams throughout the Park to help us better understand how coyotes use the Park and where they are most active.
It’s important that wildlife trails stay wild, so make sure to always stay on the formal Park trails when visiting Stanley Park to respect the animals in their own homes.