"Ella" ~ Case 404

 Our team deployed and put boots on the ground early this morning to begin surveying and tracking.   We are actively searching both on the ground and from the air using advanced thermal imaging technology. We are mapping all of the reported sightings on our Case Map which helps us track her movements.   We handed out flyers to anyone we saw during our area surveys.  The flyers will serve the purpose of spreading the word and getting more sightings.  We also deployed a camera monitored feeding station in an undisclosed location in hopes of luring her to that location. 

~ Our team spent 9 hours on the ground today.

We are continuing to search both on the ground and from the air using advanced thermal imaging technology.  We handed out more flyers to everyone we saw during our area searches, surveys and mapping.  We found one of her dens from the air and she was in the den.  We also deployed two more camera monitored feeding stations in undisclosed locations in her frequently traveled areas and one near her first located den.   This den was not an area where it would be safe to attempt capture due to high speed traffic (Hwy 380) extremely close by.  It is best to leave this den alone.  

~ Our team spent 11.5 hours on the ground today.

Our team had boots on the ground early again today where we located Ella very quickly.  As most of you may know, our team does not approach her when we locate her as to leave her undisturbed while we work through the logistics of preparing her for capture.  During the past 24 hours, we have been able to discover her exact routes between several locations that she is being seen in.  We deployed another hidden feeding station along one of her routes.  Our goal is to get ahead of them and deploy a feeding station that they will intercept. This helps to give them a reliable food source that they will likely revisit over and over, and it helps for them to stay closer to the station and roam a much smaller area.

We are getting so close.  We have been able to track her most of the day.  We launched our drone again to confirm that we have found another den of hers.  

We confirmed from the air that she does have another den so we deployed another feeding station about 30 yards from her newly found den.  She is inside the den at this very moment.  We are contacting the family right now to see if they are able to come to the scene and we will attempt to guide them on how to slowly and diligently hand capture her. If this attempt fails, we will deploy our large corral trap tonight and capture her that way.

🥰 She was probably wondering what the drone was flying so close to her. 

Ella’s family just arrived on scene.  Ella is still in her den behind the water retention fencing in a small triangled corner between shrubs and the fencing.  

We are on scene guiding the family with precise instructions on how to approach her through a small crawlable opening in the fence.  We will be recording from the ground and the air. 

In the photos below, Ella’s family slowly approached the opening in the fence and Ella poked her head out for bacon and grilled hot dog pieces.  Both family members eventually crawled through the small opening to try and get a slip leash on her.  Ridge Road traffic was only a few feet away so we advised the family not to lure her out of the fence area until they are able to slip leash her.  It took about 30 minutes for Ella to relax enough for her family to slip leash her.