Overview
- Blue, a Catahoula leopard dog assigned to the Conservation K-9 pilot, has been deployed at the South Rim to help park staff move elk and bighorn sheep out of developed areas.
- While working Blue remains leashed and under direct handler control and uses barking and herding pressure without making physical contact with wild animals.
- The dog will concentrate on high-traffic Grand Canyon Village locations such as the El Tovar complex, Grand Canyon Visitor Center, Maswik Lodge, Mather Campground service area, and Grand Canyon School.
- Park officials say the program is meant to produce long-term behavioral change and reduce roadway blockages, aggressive encounters, and situations that might otherwise lead to lethal management after earlier nonlethal tools showed mixed results.
- Visitors are urged not to approach, feed, haze, or move wildlife and the pilot will be monitored over three years to evaluate its effectiveness and inform future wildlife management decisions.