The Doggoned Truth—Domestic Canines Are Not Wildlife’s Best Friends
The science is clear that our canine friends are seriously disrupting wild ecosystems, but why do we keep turning a blind eye? Do we want wildlife to persist?
Famous wildlife artist Sir Edwin Landseer's portrayal of a wounded stag being attacked by two dogs in the water. Image use courtesy Creative Commons license wellcomecollection.org/works/hs965sca CC-BY-4.0
EDITOR'S NOTE: For the record, a majority of Mountain Journal staff and board members are, or have been, dog owners. We adore our mutts but we are also pro-wildlife. This is the first of several occasional riffs to come about the impacts of domestic dogs in communities located close to wildland settings where wildlife live.
by Todd Wilkinson
Consider the time of year: an afternoon during winter holiday week, between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The place—Blacktail Deer Creek Trail that rises through the hills above the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park.
A friend is skiing solo. He hears the huffing sounds of an animal rapidly approaching from behind.
“Its sudden appearance really startled me,” he remembers.
As he turned to face it, the moving form sprinted past. It wasn’t a bison, moose, wolf or coyote, but rather a domestic German shorthair dog. The encounter happened miles from the nearest trailhead in a nature preserve world-renowned for its wildlife.
Soon, the pet’s owners, part of a group of five, came trudging forward on snowshoes, smiling and unaware. The encounter prompted this response from the incredulous skier: “I said to them, ‘You know, don’t you, it’s illegal to have a dog in the Yellowstone backcountry and it’s especially wrong to let it roam off leash. Your dog has no business being here.’”
Tension ensued. Yellowstone, my friend noted, is not a dog park nor a playground for personal pets. Rules exist for a reason.
In fact, it’s illegal to let a domestic dog roam anywhere in Yellowstone. Dogs must be leashed even in the frontcountry, and under the owner’s complete control, not causing a ruckus, not barking at the resident wild animals or visitors—and it’s vitally important humans pick up dog poop immediately if and when the animal relieves itself.
The snowshoers swore that giving their dog exercise “and an enjoyable experience” was allowed in national parks. Becoming defensive, trying to come up with an excuse, they said they saw no signage at the trailhead informing them that bringing their dog or letting it run loose in the Yellowstone backcountry was forbidden.
“Then they asked me, treating me as if I was being obnoxious for calling them out. ‘Well, what harm is it? Our dog needs to get outside and have some fun. It isn’t hurting anything.’”
The problem, their tone suggested, wasn’t the dog. It was my friend pointing out their offense.
According to park personnel in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks I’ve spoken with, the above is a common misperception and attitude held by people who live in our corner of the wild West and, of course, among those who visit.
Hikers and a herd of dogs off leash coming down a backcountry trail. Studies show that when people are accompanied by dogs the flight response from wildlife is markedly amplified and in some cases may cause resident wild animals to be permanently uprooted. Screenshot obtained on Facebook
What is it about we dog owners who seem to think dogs and cats are tantamount to raising live human children—and as such, believe pups and kitties ought to be afforded all of the entitled privileges enjoyed by outdoor people? I have a dog. I love dogs. I live in a dog-crazy town, as so many communities are.
Earlier in my life, I also had a cat. I love cats. Both domestic canids and felines are incredibly smart and comforting sentient beings. I am also the father of two now-grown humans, and can tell you that looking after dogs and cats is not the same as raising kids.
A humble observation: children typically don’t chase and menace public wildlife and livestock, stress them out, attack them, maul them, kill them and scavenge dead animal carcasses for their meat and bones, as feral and domestic dogs do.
Kids also don’t squat and leave behind prolific piles of stinky, unsightly poop in public spaces or the neighbors’ yards, nor do they hump other peoples’ kids or growl at and bite them. If they did, few adults would find those manners endearing or cute.
"People and their dogs disturb wildlife, and people are not always aware of or willing to acknowledge the significance of their own impacts … Dogs subject wildlife to physical and temporal displacement from habitat, and dog scent repels wildlife with lingering impacts. Dogs disturb wildlife which can induce long-term stress, impact animals’ immune systems and reduce reproduction. Dogs spread disease to and outright kill wildlife. People with dogs are much more detrimental to wildlife than people alone; off leash dogs are worse; and off-trail impacts are highest." — scientist Lori Hennings who examined a multitude of studies exploring impacts of dogs on wildlife
Only a few months after the incident in Yellowstone, at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area along the Montana-Wyoming state line, my skier friend was out hiking and experienced another incident. This time, bighorn sheep charged toward him along the trail, sprinting past, trying to elude a domestic dog gaining in swift pursuit. The canine’s owners were nowhere in sight. When my friend verbally scolding them, they treated him as if he were a crazy old grouch.
For reasons that defy logic, some members of our species seem clueless about the responsibilities that come with having dogs, no matter where we live, but being dog educated takes on added importance in areas where wildlife still persists due to low levels of pressures brought by people and the presence of dogs.
My friend, who has a graduate degree in natural resource management, has been a longtime dog owner for much of his adult life. He was stunned, not only by the brazen flouting of park regulations, but also the fact that the snowshoers didn’t appear to have any inkling why letting dogs roam off leash in Yellowstone (or any wildland home to sensitive wildlife) is a really bad idea.
Last summer, while hiking the Bridger Foothills Trail on the Custer-Gallatin National Forest with a different friend near Bozeman, we were watching a mother mule deer and fawn foraging in a meadow. Suddenly, three mountain bikers and a pair of dogs running beside them appeared sending the startled deer scattering with one of the dogs giving chase to the fawn.
Mountain biking alone, as scientific studies note, has negative impacts on wildlife and they are compounded when riders bring their dogs. In numerous articles that have appeared in bike magazines, writers have encouraged people to bring their dogs. In a story penned by Jeff Barber for the website Singletracks, he writes: "Do train and test your dog to make sure he or she is able to obey your commands." But then, in the very next sentence, he acknowledges and almost seems to blame wildlife if the dog gets distracted: "Many owners are able to keep their dogs under voice control though keep in mind that mountain bike trails pose additional challenges. Wild animals, other trail users and sheer exhaustion can distract dogs that are otherwise very obedient." He admits dogs going rogue is likely to happen but says nothing about the significant consequences of it happening, as opposed to just saying leave the dog at home.
Dog presence, scientific evidence shows overwhelmingly, can causes severe stress to wildlife and displace native critters from areas where those animals need to be. The spatial disruption caused yby dogs is disproportionately higher than when only people move down a trail.
Some dogs, not all, instinctively harass and maim wildlife or run animals to the point of exhaustion—all of which is against the law. Dogs too are notorious for being disruptive in spring and summer to wading and nesting wetland birds. Accompanying hikers to lakes and ponds and then cooling off in the water, dogs can cause parent avians to abandon nests.
Along with the above, domestic dogs can and have transmitted diseases to wildlife. In Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, a bout of canine parvovirus brought to the island by domestic dogs belonging to visitors spread through the famous wild wolf population there and killed a sizable percentage of lobos.
Vexing is why so many people have so little dog savvy. Every single day on public land like national forests, wildlife refuges, federal BLM and state lands, untold thousands of us go on hikes with our dogs and many of our friendly pooches (whose owners swear Fido and Fifi wouldn’t harm a flea) contribute to a steady erosion of the wild fabric around us.
No one has estimated the cumulative toll of dogs yet, but wildlife biologists say it is significant, on everything from mammals to birds, reptiles and amphibians.
The questions are: why is it allowed to happen? What isn’t it being discussed more often? And why aren’t the same rules that exist in national parks pertaining to wildlife protection not applied to national forests which in Greater Yellowstone are home to just as many fragile species? The simple reason is it’s easier to look the other way than to say no, but when a land manager or wildlife management agency does this, what does it say about their personal and professional ethics?
Zone of canine influence: Graphic courtesy of Dubois, Wyoming ecologist Bruce Thompson who derived it from studies examining how people and dogs displace wildlife in the backcountry.
The lack of awareness about the impacts of dogs extends even to national media, including magazines that cater to the younger adventure set. In a spring 2021 online edition of Outside magazine, writer Emily Pennington penned a piece titled “The Most Dog-Friendly Parks in the U.S.” The piece is subtitled: “From miles of accessible trails to nearby boarding services to dog safety, these are the best (and worst) parks to visit with your best friend.”
The implication: that if a national park doesn’t allow dogs to go on outings then it’s bad? She references wildlife in Alaska’s national parks, for example, as “hazards” and that “unrestrained pets are not permitted to kill wildlife.”
“At Grand Teton," she writes, "pet rules are a little hardcore. They [dogs] aren’t permitted on trails, in the backcountry, on multi-use pathways, or along lakeshores. They are, however, allowed to ride inside boats on Jackson Lake. Luckily, there are a wealth of roads with outstanding panoramas of the Tetons that you can drive or walk along with your dog and still get a good sense of the park. We recommend River Road or the road to Lupine Meadows Trailhead for a stroll. We can also bring your dog to all campgrounds, turnouts, and picnic areas.”
Pennington, who makes it sound as if visiting a national park provides special memories that a dog will never forget, lives in Los Angeles. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is not LA. We still have a healthy wildlife ecosystem that exists because it has not yet been trammeled and trampled by crushing numbers of humans. If we want to maintain our wildlife and pass along as part of our legacy, we have to restrain how we engage wildlands.
Maybe Pennington should have read the National Park Service’s Organic Act before she wrote her piece: “The Organic Act directs the [National Park Service] to promote and regulate the use of the parks by whatever means and measures conform to the fundamental purpose of the parks,” said Stephen P. Martin, a former deputy director of the Park Service when he gave testimony on the Organic Act to Congress. “It tells us that this fundamental purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for their enjoyment in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Unimpaired means bringing no harm to the nature of parks—and no one can claim that domestic dogs have a benign impact. Sometimes, rules and ethics can be confusing. It’s illegal for dogs to bother cattle, horses, domestic sheep and goats, but it’s okay for houndsmen to loosen their animals on mountain lions and black bears. All the while, it is well established that dogs which chase bears can cause very negative and dangerous human-bear encounters. Moreover, dogs in the backcountry can precipitate attacks by wolves and mountain lions—on dogs and people.
Dogs harassing wildlife has been a known problem for a long time. Here, an etching dated to 1690 showing a domestic dog chasing a heron off its nest at a wetland. Few dog owners who take their pets to lakes, ponds and rivers for swims ever reflect on why they don't see more nesting birds. Image available through Creative Commons license Wellcomecollection.org/works/bzfrmdaf CC-BY-4.0
In Montana, dogs can be shot if observed harassing or chasing livestock, and game wardens can shoot dogs chasing wildlife on public land and on private property if the landowner consents. Wyoming and Idaho have similar rules. Click on this state-by-state overview of regulations pertaining to dogs, livestock and wildlife.
Meanwhile, in Teton Village, a 27-year-old woman in March was trampled by a moose after it became agitated by her dog that was let outside to pee. Mark Gocke, spokesperson for Wyoming Game and Fish said it is among a series of incidents in which people have been charged by moose while in the company of their dogs.
Lori Hennings, a senior natural resource scientist based in Portland, Oregon, conducted a literature review on the known impacts of dogs on wildlife. “The evidence that dogs negatively impact wildlife is overwhelming. It is clear that people with dogs—on leash or off—are much more detrimental to wildlife than people without dogs. Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are considered to be a subspecies of wolves (Canis lupus), and wildlife perceive dogs as predators.”
Hennings goes into vivid detail but offers this synopsis: “In summary, people and their dogs disturb wildlife, and people are not always aware of or willing to acknowledge the significance of their own impacts…Dogs subject wildlife to physical and temporal displacement from habitat, and dog scent repels wildlife with lingering impacts. Dogs disturb wildlife which can induce long-term stress, impact animals’ immune systems and reduce reproduction. Dogs spread disease to and outright kill wildlife. People with dogs are much more detrimental to wildlife than people alone; off leash dogs are worse; and off-trail impacts are highest. Urban wildlife is subject to many human-induced stressors including habitat loss, degraded and fragmented habitat, impacts from a variety of user groups, roads, trails, infrastructure, noise and light pollution.”
Visiting our most spectacular (and sensitive) wild landscapes is on the bucket list of a a lot of people, but should we also treat those places as if they are on the must-see bucket lists of our dogs? An Instagram post from a visitor to Yellowstone ironically showing his dog doing something illegal—being inside a thermal basin off leash.
In another peer-reviewed scientific analysis published in the journal Biology Letters, authors Peter Banks and Jessica Bryant write of the impacts of dogs on native birds: “Here we show that dog walking in woodland leads to a 35 percent reduction in bird diversity and 41 percent reduction in abundance, both in areas where dog walking is common and where dogs are prohibited. These results argue against access by dog walkers to sensitive conservation areas.”
While this story is focused on domestic dogs, we would be remiss if not noting the impact of domestic and feral cats on avifauna. The American Bird Conservancy says cats are the number one threat to native birds. In the U.S. alone, cats allowed to wander freely outdoors kill approximately 2.4 billion birds each year. On top of what’s happening nationally, domestic cats brought to the edge of wildland settings by humans building trophy homes astride of public lands, add to the consequences of habitat loss causing declines in sensitive native birds.
The American Bird Conservancy says cats are the number one threat to native birds. In the US alone, cats allowed to wander freely outdoors kill approximately 2.4 billion birds each year. On top of what’s happening nationally, domestic cats brought to the edge of wildland settings by humans building trophy homes astride of public lands, add to the consequences of habitat loss causing declines in sensitive native birds.
Researcher G. Zapata Rios, in the journal Animal Conservation, titled his paper, “Dogs are more than wet kisses and tail wags: domestic dogs as invasive species," writes: “Problems with domestic dogs are not new, but many of their impacts as invasive species have been overlooked until fairly recently. As predators, dog populations have significant impacts on native species, and as a consequence have the potential to alter ecosystem structure and function in priority conservation areas. They also can compete with native predators for prey, cause losses to livestock, and transmit disease. Thus, the impacts of domestic dogs can be much more far‐reaching than previously thought.”
Hard as it is to hear, dogs and cats, because of their wandering, vastly expand the human footprint and our zone of negative influence on nature. For those who wish to turn attention onto wolves or other predators, consider there are, combined, perhaps 2,000 grizzlies, wolves and mountain lions in Greater Yellowstone and, on a given summer day, 100 times as many domestic dogs, many given free rein.
In Greater Yellowstone and the larger Rocky Mountain West, mule deer are indicators of how human development, natural resource extraction and outdoor recreation can negatively impact the abundance and persistence of sensitive species. At the southern end of Greater Yellowstone, in Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin near the Wind River Mountains, the footprint of extensive energy development has resulted in habitat disturbance and corresponding serious decline of the mule deer population.
At the northern end of Greater Yellowstone, David Pak, a wildlife researcher some four decades ago, identified how suburban sprawl spilling into the foothills of the Bridger Range near Bozeman was having a deleterious impact on mule deer there. And he warned how increasing development and exploding recreation pressure, of the kind that has come to exist in the Bridgers, did not bode well.
Despite this, the Custer Gallatin National Forest has not only done little to rein in or limit recreation on behalf of wildlife, but since the first years of Pak’s analysis, thousands of trail runners inundate the Bridger Ridge and large throngs of mountain bikers dominate some of the trails, with illegal trails representing a serious threat to wildlife habitat security.
A mountain biker rides with dogs in tow down a wildland trail near Fernie, British Columbia. Photo courtesy Shutterstock ID: 1784864246
Dr. Richard Knight, an esteemed veteran wildlife researcher and professor at Colorado State University, has been at the forefront of examining how New West lifestyle trends have negatively affected wildlife. Together with colleague Benjamin Length and Mark Brennan of the Boulder County, Colorado Parks and Open Space Department, Knight published a study titled “The Effects of Dogs on Wildlife Communities.” In particular, the analysis showed that people with dogs displace mule deer.
“We found that the presence of dogs correlated with altered patterns of habitat utilization for mule deer, small mammals, prairie dogs, and bobcats. For mule deer and small mammals, the results tease out the role of dogs beyond the cumulative disturbance of recreationists. Even in areas that prohibited dogs, mule deer were less active up to 50 meters from recreational trails. But in areas that allowed dogs, deer showed reduced activity within at least 100 meters of trails.”
They note, “The differences in these distances, when considered along the lengths of these trails, represent areas of otherwise suitable mule deer habitat that are potentially unsuitable because of dogs. Because of this depth of the edge effect associated with dogs along recreational trails, for every protected area that allows dogs off leash, there is a certain percentage of that area that is unsuitable for certain species of wildlife, even though the habitat may be perfectly suitable otherwise. Understanding this effect can be important when planning the location of new trails, closing trails, or implementing restrictions regarding dogs and recreationists.”
In yet another study published in the journal Biological Conservation, among many that could be referenced, lead author Arielle Parsons and colleagues used camera traps to investigate how humans, dogs and coyotes used 33 protected areas in eastern North America and the impacts on three prey species—white-tailed deer, eastern gray squirrels and northern raccoons. Their datapoints included 52,863 detections of native wildlife, and 162,418 detections of dogs over 42,874 camera nights.
“Most dogs were on the trail, and 89 percent of off-trail dogs were accompanied by humans. Prey avoided dogs, humans and coyotes temporally, but did not avoid them spatially or greatly increase vigilance. Our results indicate that humans are perceived as a greater risk than coyotes and this increases when dogs accompany their owners,” they write. “We found that dog management was effective: prohibiting dogs in protected areas reduced their use of an area by a factor of 10 and leash laws increased leashing rates by 21 percent. Although millions of dogs use natural areas in North America each year, regulations enacted by protected areas combined with responsible management of dog behavior greatly reduce the ecological impact of man's best friend.”
A bull elk at Mammoth, the administrative headquarters of Yellowstone National Park, lounges on the grass and closely watches a visitor giving his pooch a walk on leash. Photo courtesy Neal Herbert/NPS
One of the problems is that conservation-minded citizens, who profess to being concerned about the needs of wildlife, are blind to the impacts of their dogs. How our furry friends behave is an extension of our own values and character. And the dog problem, for wildlife managers, is yet another bold illustration of how outdoor recreation does not equate to wildlife conservation.
At one popular Greater Yellowstone cross-country ski area, which functions as a multi-season outdoor recreation destination, skiers and hikers are encouraged to bring their dogs. Little reflection seems to be given to the fact that the resort resides in the middle of an important wildlife migration corridor, with sensitive species like moose, elk, deer, wolverines and other species—all of which dogs are known to bother if given the chance. There seems to be little reflection on the science and how the resort itself is contributing to rapid exurbanization of a once-wild corner of the region.
At one popular Greater Yellowstone cross country ski area, which functions as a multi-season outdoor recreation destination, skiers and hikers are encouraged to bring their dogs. Little reflection seems to be given to the fact that the resort resides in the middle of an important wildlife migration corridor, with sensitive species like moose, elk, deer, bears wolverines and other species—all of which dogs are known to bother if given the chance.
One of the ski area’s rules says: “Dogs must be under control at all times—aggressive behavior will not be tolerated.” But it fails to mention that it only takes just a few bad dog-wildlife incidents, which quickly add up, that can cause resident wild animals to flee.
In the summer 2022 issue of Jackson Hole Magazine, there was a story titled "Dog Heaven: Jackson Hole is as much a playground for dogs as for people." In identifying places for locals and visitors to take their dogs, the story's author disparages the fact that on the National Elk Refuge dogs must be leashed. She writes: "On the National Elk Refuge Road, here it is required that all dogs are leashed and, even though it is on a wildlife refuge, there are rarely many animals on the road."
The author then makes another recommendation for dog hikers: "In East Jackson, the Cache Creek/Snow King trail network includes about 20 miles of single- and double-track trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Due to its proximity to downtown—less than one mile from the Town Square—and the great views of the Tetons some of the network’s trails offer, this area is busy with humans, dogs, and wildlife."
In actual fact, all of the human activity above has exacted a huge toll on wildlife and the habitat security it used to have in Cache Creek and on the flanks of Snow King mountain. De-wilding is underway and observers say the Bridger-Teton National Forest and Wyoming Game and Fish are to blame.
Dr. Franz Camenzind, an award-winning wildlife cinematographer, wildlife biologist who studied wild canids, and who led the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, has had a front-row seat observing human and wildlife interactions along the corridor leading from Snow King to Cache Creek for half a century.
"The wildlife ain't there no more," he says. "If it's there it's just passing through. There's very little resident wild wildlife and, in large part it is due to dogs, no question about it." Some 15 years ago, he was part of a citizen's group that met with the Forest Service, recreation interests, dog owners and state biologists to talk about deepening impacts on wildlife.
Wildlife persistence is being bargained away, decision by decision, all done in the name of achieving "balance" and "compromise" in an area that Camenzind remembers as being a rich area for wildlife that helped cement Jackson Hole's special status as a hub for protection of nature. "So often we frame things according to the current situation and forget about what was there," Camenzind says. "We've gone so far astray in that the debate is now about whether dogs should be allowed to be on or off leash, not whether they should be there at all. If there was the political will, and more rigorous limits were imposed, wildlife would probably re-inhabit that area in a few years but that's probably not going to happen."
Truth: it is a fallacy that having lots of free-roaming dogs off leash moving helter skelter though landscapes populated by sensitive wildlife can result in peaceful co-existence. Most people, scientists say, are unaware because incidents involving our beloved pets happen out of sight.
Image use courtesy Creative Commons/wellcomecollection.org/works/qgdqwdtq CC-BY-4.0
If Greater Yellowstone is going to maintain its diversity of free-ranging wildlife, that is unparalleled in the Lower 48 and facing unprecedented pressures such as loss of critical habitat due to development, displacement by rising levels of outdoor recreation, and climate change affecting water availability and habitat at a massive scale, scientists say, then a new way of thinking about human responsibility must be adopted. This is a burden we all shoulder, whether we are sharing our lives with dogs or not.
Many communities are adopting more rigorous regulations but most treat wildlife impacts only as an afterthought. Again, every single day, thousands of negative—often subtle—encounters are happening, and it takes just a single dog to set off negative ripple effects. Even tiny amounts of commotion brought by people can have disastrous consequences when no dogs are present. That’s why, in Yellowstone National Park, trails to backcountry ponds and lakes are closed for part of the year so that resident nesting trumpeter swans, whose numbers have dwindled in the park, have a chance at successful reproduction. And it’s why areas of Yellowstone that provide important secure habitat for grizzly bear mothers and cubs are under permanent or seasonal closure to normal tourism.
If you want examples closer to home, ask yourself why there is isn't a diversity of wildlife present at the local suburban dog park or marsh where you used to see birds like Great Blue herons and other species. Indeed, we take great pleasure in being outside with our dogs but do wildland settings need to become sacrifice zones for canid funhoggery too?
Or maybe, at the end of the day, dogs matter more than wildlife?
While it’s impractical to mandate that dog owners take an ecological competency course, which spells out the expectations of responsible pet behavior in wild country, something more than is happening now must be done.
When it comes to dogs, Yellowstone, contrary to what snowshoers with the German shorthair said, has made the rules explicit: Here is the advisory that Yellowstone posts to tourists planning their trips. “Bringing a pet to Yellowstone may limit your activities in the park. Protect your pet and park wildlife by observing these regulations:
Pets may only accompany people in developed areas and must remain within 100 feet (30.5 meters) of roads, parking areas, and campgrounds.
Pets must be physically controlled at all times: they must be in a car, in a crate, or on a leash no more than six feet long.
Pets are not allowed on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry, or in thermal areas.
Pets may not be left unattended or tied to an object.
Pets may not be left in a situation where food, water, shade, ventilation, and other basic needs are inadequate. Pets may remain in vehicles for short periods of time, but we recommend that someone stay behind to personally ensure their well-being.
Owners must bag and dispose of pet waste.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: Next time, we examine a scatalogical topic that cannot be ignored: the proliferation and menace of dog poop.
About Todd Wilkinson
Todd Wilkinson, founder of Mountain Journal, is author of the book Ripple Effects: How to Save Yellowstone and American's Most Iconic Wildlife Ecosystem. Wilkinson has been writing about Greater Yellowstone for 35 years and is a correspondent to publications ranging from National Geographic to The Guardian. He is author of several books on topics as diverse as scientific whistleblowers and Ted Turner, and a book about the harrowing story of Jackson Hole grizzly mother 399, the most famous bear in the world which features photographs by Thomas Mangelsen. For more information on Wilkinson, click here. (Photo by David J Swift).
