This month I setup camera traps at 32 locations in an effort to document dholes in Khao Ang Rue Nai. We placed the cameras in areas where we found dhole or prey sign (I have seen no dholes). After a combined 81 trap nights of the cameras in the forest, the picture is grim: 1 mongoose, 1 monitor lizard, 3 elephants (in a sanctuary that is over-run with elephants), 8 sambar deer, and 8 barking deer. However, I have yet to develop the film from cameras setup with road-kill deer parts as bait, so maybe…
I am extremely frustrated with my equipment. I am using second-hand Camtrakker models (film cameras) that are not made to withstand the rigors of the tropical forest. Furthermore, film is rapidly getting harder to find and have developed. It is now the beginning of the rainy season and the humidity and moisture is already a problem. I am rapidly losing camera traps. I started with 18 working cameras. I am down to 7! (6 have problems with the infrared beam (most likely due to humidity), 3 were destroyed by elephants, 2 are clogged with black ant eggs inside the workings of the camera). To solve the ant problem, I bought some silicone caulk which I will use to seal the cameras. Using this caulk also aids the silica gel packets I place inside to absorb moisture. I am also inquiring about building elephant resistant housings and finding a fix-it man, but this will take time (everything happens slowly here, so that means…months). I am considering learning to build my own digital camera traps so I know how they work and how to fix them. But, this seems difficult as all of the sites for parts I have been referred to are no longer in business.
There are numerous digital camera trap models available in US retail stores for hunters, but most are not capable of withstanding the very harsh and humid Thailand environment. However, we have positive reviews from colleagues in western Thailand and Brazil who are successfully using digital camera trap models (which are also capable of capturing video clips). So, my colleagues at the Smithsonian and I have narrowed in on commercial models of digital cameras to purchase (ca. $200/camera). We are also putting in the order for two GPS/GSM collars for dholes this month to leave room for manufacture time so they are ready to be deployed in the field in September.
Police Inquiry
I just had a long break for Songkran, the Thai New Year. I was planning to spend it at Pom's house (which is fun because you go around visiting the elderly and pouring water over their hands, then doing the same with the monks). But, I didn't have cash because I had to cancel my ATM card. When I got to Bangkok, I walked up to my apartment and found a new lock over the door handle. At first I thought the landlady had locked us out because we were both away for over a week. Then, I looked closer. The doorknob has a lock, but there are also two loops of metal (one on the door itself and one on the door frame). When you shut the door, these come one on top of the other, then you insert a pad lock. One of the loops of metal was twisted open. Someone had broken into my apartment!!
I was exhausted after a 5 hour bus ride in extreme heat and just wanted a shower. I had to get the landlady to open the door, and then a whole group of people gathered around to watch as I checked what was stolen. Everything seemed to be in place. They left after lots of nodding and sent a guy to put a new latch on the door. I was finally alone and the violation of it hit me. I called Pom and asked if he had my computer. Nope. They stole my (luckily OLD) computer, cords to an external hard drive (luckily they didn't take the drive), and my nice computer bag (which was in the closet....how did they even think to look for the bag? I guess it made leaving less conspicuous). Anyway, then I cried. I don't really need my old computer, but after it died, the previous week, I spent a lot of time fixing it and it was working great (faster than my new computer in fact). I was livid.
Then, (I still didn't get my shower) I had to deal with the police coming. They were more interested in asking personal questions about me being an American and my hair than about the theft. I don't know why they bothered to come. I waited for Pom and the next day we went to the police station to do a formal statement (not that it will do any good).
Our apartment has a security camera taping people going in and out of the building. I thought we could watch this to see if anyone had my bag. But, conveniently, the days I wanted to look at the landlord had no longer saved. Hmmm. I'm just lucky I still have my passport and credit cards.
I was exhausted after a 5 hour bus ride in extreme heat and just wanted a shower. I had to get the landlady to open the door, and then a whole group of people gathered around to watch as I checked what was stolen. Everything seemed to be in place. They left after lots of nodding and sent a guy to put a new latch on the door. I was finally alone and the violation of it hit me. I called Pom and asked if he had my computer. Nope. They stole my (luckily OLD) computer, cords to an external hard drive (luckily they didn't take the drive), and my nice computer bag (which was in the closet....how did they even think to look for the bag? I guess it made leaving less conspicuous). Anyway, then I cried. I don't really need my old computer, but after it died, the previous week, I spent a lot of time fixing it and it was working great (faster than my new computer in fact). I was livid.
Then, (I still didn't get my shower) I had to deal with the police coming. They were more interested in asking personal questions about me being an American and my hair than about the theft. I don't know why they bothered to come. I waited for Pom and the next day we went to the police station to do a formal statement (not that it will do any good).
Our apartment has a security camera taping people going in and out of the building. I thought we could watch this to see if anyone had my bag. But, conveniently, the days I wanted to look at the landlord had no longer saved. Hmmm. I'm just lucky I still have my passport and credit cards.
Dholes Aren't Sexy
A quick overview: The spin is that Khao Ang Rue Nai (where I conduct my research) is a wildlife sanctuary surrounded by densely populated and well-developed lands. Though this human encroachment has many negative consequences, it may also provide unexpected access to modern technology for the study and conservation of endangered species. For example, an extensive cellular phone network now covers the entire park. The phone coverage allows researchers to track animals using a combination of Global System for Mobile (GSM) cellular phone technology and Global Positioning System (GPS). This technology can be built into a collar and attached to a dhole. The GPS positions (documenting daily movements) are stored in the collar until the animal is within GSM cell phone net coverage and positions can be transferred direct to the scientist’s cell phone!
Feedback from the grant proposal I submitted to Lindbergh Foundation to study dholes:
High Scores. “A good fit between technology and conservation biology…creative…well designed, clear involvement of local peoples, will provide critical information that can directly inform conservation policies for this species and has a well developed plan to disseminate the results in an effective manner.”
My project has scored high enough to make it to the list of finalists the last two years, yet the scoring (subjective, without written feedback) by the final selection committee has not ranked it high either year. I have yet to receive grant money to study dholes. I guess dholes just aren’t sexy. It is clear I need to come up with an even more creative spin on my research to interest funders.
Feedback from the grant proposal I submitted to Lindbergh Foundation to study dholes:
High Scores. “A good fit between technology and conservation biology…creative…well designed, clear involvement of local peoples, will provide critical information that can directly inform conservation policies for this species and has a well developed plan to disseminate the results in an effective manner.”
My project has scored high enough to make it to the list of finalists the last two years, yet the scoring (subjective, without written feedback) by the final selection committee has not ranked it high either year. I have yet to receive grant money to study dholes. I guess dholes just aren’t sexy. It is clear I need to come up with an even more creative spin on my research to interest funders.
Thai Living
It is a bad sign, isn’t it? When the most appetizing thing I’ve eaten all day is my toothpaste. Yes, I’m adjusting to the all Thai meals (always rice all the time), but I do admit I sit down and instantly lose my appetite.
I’ve got a hole in my ceiling the size of my fist. It just so happens it is positioned directly in the center of my desk—-where my computer lives. The desk positioned where it is to take advantage of the room’s only electrical outlet. When you look up through the hole, the sky is visible. When it rains, the desk gets WET.
I asked the workers if there was any material to patch the hole.
Nope—because that would require going on top of the roof and fixing the source of the problem. This is a field site in Thailand: we moved the desk, duh?! (even though now that means multiple electric cords strung through the center of my space...and a puddle on my floor...which will become a daily fixture for multiple months throughout the rainy season)
I’ve got a hole in my ceiling the size of my fist. It just so happens it is positioned directly in the center of my desk—-where my computer lives. The desk positioned where it is to take advantage of the room’s only electrical outlet. When you look up through the hole, the sky is visible. When it rains, the desk gets WET.
I asked the workers if there was any material to patch the hole.
Nope—because that would require going on top of the roof and fixing the source of the problem. This is a field site in Thailand: we moved the desk, duh?! (even though now that means multiple electric cords strung through the center of my space...and a puddle on my floor...which will become a daily fixture for multiple months throughout the rainy season)