Trail cams offer some entertaining and endearing pictures of wildlife. Who doesn’t enjoy a picture of a moose momma and her calf in the bush? But tracking wildlife activity near our operations is much more than cute photos, and doing it properly is important to the health and safety of both humans and animals.

Our wildlife monitoring processes ensures we develop and deliver training and safety protocols for encountering animals, minimizing environmental impact and managing effective land reclamation activities in the areas where we operate.

One of the main protocols we have when it comes to keeping an eye on the creatures that live where we work, is to report wildlife sightings when we see an animal on or near our sites, which keeps people at our sites and the creatures that live where we work safe.

“Once security is made aware of a wildlife sighting, they put that information in our system, which gets recorded into Sunmap,” explains Roberto Torres, an environmental advisor who works out of MacKay River. “We use Sunmap as a monitoring tool to track the animals in the area.”

In addition to tracking, Sunmap helps promote safety by providing information on what animals are in certain areas of our sites.

Samantha Tavener, a member of the Mine Closure Research team, monitors wildlife on reclaimed lands at Suncor. “From 2013 to 2022, our wildlife monitoring system detected over 200 species on reclaimed lands,” she says. “Using different monitoring tools such as trail cameras, automated recording units and track plates identifies wildlife in monitored areas.”

Automated recording units, often referred to as ARUs are used to detect birds and amphibians. These systems are equipped with specialized microphones that detect the sounds these animals make.

A trail camera on a tall tripod in the woods.
An automated recording unit setup near a wetland on reclaimed lands

Track plates are great for tracking smaller animals that leave behind identifiable prints. A bait is set to lure the animals over the pad. The track pads contain a non-toxic carbon powder and mineral ink that allows the tracks to be seen on the track plate or paper. After the prints are left behind, environmental consultants analyze the tracks to help identify what animals have been in the area. From large animals such as moose to smaller animals like a willow ptarmigan, the monitoring tools ensure we know who is passing through our sites.

A large cat among snow covered trees.
A Willow Ptarmigan walking in the snow.

The return of wildlife to reclaimed lands shows the land is habitable for the wildlife in the area. With this information, we can conduct risk assessments, develop training programs for our workers about wildlife behaviour and guide safe operational practices.

A large cat among snow covered trees.
Canada Lynx walking in snowy reclaimed lands.

So, next time you see a close-up photo of a moose staring directly a camera, in addition to making you smile, let it serve as a reminder that we’re operating in their home, and we need to do what we can to keep them safe.

 A close-up photo of a moose looking directly at the camera.
A moose getting up close and personal with on a game trail camera.