Tracking wolves on a snowy hike in Yellowstone

This is the professional website of predator-prey ecologist Jack Rabe. After spending my youth in northeast Ohio fishing on Lake Erie during hot summer days and chasing butterflies around with a broom-handled net, I pursued a career dedicated to the wildlife that shaped my life. I received a BS in Environmental Science majoring in Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife from The Ohio State University in 2017. I then spent over three years working in Yellowstone as a biological technician, where I tracked wolves, cougars, and elk by sky, road, and trail.

As a PhD student in Conservation Sciences at the University of Minnesota, I am continuing my previous work by studying how Yellowstone’s large predators (wolves, cougars, grizzly and black bears, and humans) impact the elk population by looking at how many elk and which elk (different ages and sexes) each predator kills from one year to the next. I’m more broadly interested in large predator conservation and its value for preserving our natural landscapes. I also hope to improve equity and diversity in science through collaboration, outreach, and public engagement.

In following the lives of wolves, cougars, and elk in the Yellowstone backcountry, I’ve hiked enough miles to walk coast-to-coast across America. When not focused on research, I love to travel the world in search of wildlife with my fiance, Taylor, play with our two dogs, go rock climbing, fly fishing, and read popular science writing, especially works by David Quammen. I’m also passionate about cooking and exploring different cultures through food. When I was an undergrad I almost dropped out of college to go to culinary school.

“Every man dies, not every man truly lives.” - William Wallace

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” — Queen Galadriel

“All models are wrong but some are useful.” - George Box