Data from: The influence of human presence and footprint on animal space use in US national parks

Averaged across all parks and species, animals avoided the human footprint, whether the park was open or closed. However, while animals in remote areas showed consistent avoidance, on average those in more developed areas switched from avoidance to selection when protected areas were closed. Findings varied across species: some responded consistently negatively to the footprint (wolves, mountain goats), some positively (mule deer, red fox), and others had a strong exposure-mediated response (elk, mountain lion).

Furthermore, some species responded more strongly to the park closure (black bear, moose). This study advances our understanding of complex interactions between recreation and wildlife in protected areas. While we do not share raw location data due to the sensitivity of animal locations, we provide complete information on the format of data files, intermediate data products, and the scripts necessary to reproduce analyses.