Abundant - Many still exist.
Accra - The capital city of Ghana, West Africa.
Alberta Conservation Association - A non-profit organization that works to conserve, protect and enhance natural biological resources in Alberta.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife - A department of the Government of Alberta.
Alberta Wildlife Act - Alberta government law that oversees the management of wildlife and conservation of species at risk.
Artificial burrows - Burrows created by people for burrowing owls to live in. They are made of two large buckets for a nest chamber with a long tube attached to the entrance.
Artificial homes - Places for animals to live that are made by people. One example is a bat house.
Artificial incubator - A container for hatching eggs that keeps a constant temperature and humidity.
Athene cunicularia - Scientific name for the burrowing owl.
Breeding season - A set period of time when male and female animals come together for breeding.
Burrow - A hole in the ground made by an animal for shelter.
Calgary Zoo - A conservation organization that participates in conservation breeding and conservation research programs.
Captivity - Under human care.
Carnivore - An animal that primarily eats meat.
Catch-and-release trapping - A technique where animals are live-caught and released after a short period of time in order to estimate the population in a certain area.
Census - Counting the population of a certain area on a regular basis.
Centre for Conservation Research - A department at the Calgary Zoo that researches endangered species.
Chiefs - Leaders of the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary and its surrounding communities.
Collaboratively - Working together and cooperating on a project.
Conservation breeding - A program to preserve species at risk in the wild by breeding them under human care.
Conservation breeding population - A group of animals that are bred under human care.
Conservation breeding program - A program to preserve species at risk in the wild by breeding them under human care.
Conservation organization - A group whose purpose is to help save endangered species and spaces.
Cypress Hills Provincial Park - Provincial park located in southeastern Alberta.
Data-logging eggs - Artificial eggs that collect information for researchers to study how eggs are incubated.
Database - A collection of information stored on computer.
Dispersal patterns - How animals move away from the place they were hatched.
Disperse - Separate and go in different directions.
Distribution - How animals are spread over a specific area.
Eco-research - Research by scientists who travel to a specific location to study wildlife and the environment there.
Eco-tourism - Tourism led by a naturalist to places where travellers can view wildlife and learn about the environment.
Endangered - A species of animal that is in danger of disappearing forever (extinction).
Endangered species - A species of animal that is in danger of disappearing forever (extinction).
Ethogram - A complete list of all the different behaviours of an animal species.
Extinct - No longer exists on the Earth.
Fertile - The ability of an egg to develop into a chick.
Genetics - Traits that are passed from a parent animal (e.g. whooping cranes) to their offspring (e.g. chicks).
Ghana - A country in West Africa that borders the Atlantic Ocean.
Grus americana - Scientific name for the whooping crane.
Habitat - The place where a particular species of plants or animals lives and grows.
Hibernating - To spend the winter in a sleep-like state with little or no activity.
Historical range - The place where a species of animal originally lived.
Humidity - The amount of moisture in the air.
Incubated - Grown under controlled conditions.
International Crane Foundation - A nature centre and conservation facility in Wisconsin, USA, that works to conserve cranes and the ecosystems on which they depend.
Keith Gibson - A research scientist at the Calgary Zoo.
Light Up the World Foundation - A not-for-profit group that works to provide affordable, safe, healthy, efficient and environmentally responsible light sources to people who do not have access to power for adequate lighting.
Live trap - A trap that safely catches an animal so it can be released again.
Marmota vancouverensis - Scientific name for the Vancouver Island marmot.
Migrate - To move from one location to another, usually for feeding or breeding.
Mites - Tiny insects.
Monitoring - How researchers observe and keep track of animals they have released.
Native - Species that occur naturally in an area.
Nest boxes - A substitute above-ground burrow made for Vancouver Island marmots in conservation breeding facilities.
Non-native species - Species of plants or animals that do not occur naturally in an area.
Non-random - Having a pattern, predicable.
Parasitic disease - A disease caused by a parasite – an organism that grows, feeds and is sheltered by its host.
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center - A research centre in Maryland, USA, that works to conserve, protect and preserve many species, including whooping cranes.
Pesticides - Chemicals used to kill insects.
Pitfall traps - A hole in the ground that is used to trap a frog for a short period of time so it can be marked for research purposes.
Pollinators - Any animal that moves pollen from one flower to another. Examples are birds, bees and bats.
Population - The animals living in a certain area.
Predator - An animal that eats another animal for food.
Pristine - Land in its original condition that has been untouched by humans.
Radio collar - A collar fitted with a small radio transmitter that can be used to track a wild animal’s movements.
Rana pipiens - Scientific name for the Northern leopard frog.
Random - Having no pattern, unpredictable.
Reintroduction program - A program that aims to bring animals back to their historical range through conservation breeding or by relocating wild animals.
Release techniques - Methods researchers use to release animals back into their historical range.
Released owls - Owls bred under human care that released into the wild.
Reproduction - The process of generating offspring (babies).
Return owls - Owls that have returned after migrating to warmer climates (probably California or Mexico) for the winter.
Riverine habitat - Habitat located on the bank of a river.
Sanctuary - A place where animals live and are protected.
Soft release - A technique for releasing animals into the wild. Animals are moved to the release site and allowed to get used to their surroundings for a period of time before they are actually released.
Threatened - A species at risk of disappearing, becoming extinct.
Translocation - Moving wild-born animals from one part of their range to another.
Vulpes velox - Scientific name for the swift fox.
Wet season - A time during the year when rainfall greatly increases.
Young of year - Animals that are younger than one year of age.
