WE HAVE PERMITS to trap and radio-collars dholes at Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary!!! As my friend Jeanne put it, I should be super excited after almost a year long wait. Something to the tune of: YEAH!!! WHHOOOO WHHOOOO!!!!! ALL RIGHT!!!!! YIPEEEEE!!!!! &%@! YEAH!!!! Are you with me?? Try saying it while jumping up and down, that may help :) Now, we just have to find the critters…
To that end, Dr. Nucharin Songsasen (my consulting committee member from the Smithsonian) and I spent last week at the sanctuary. We setup 5 camera traps in areas where the staff recorded sightings of canid tracks. We met one large elephant in the forest and 9 on the road during a spotlighting trip. If the elephants don’t smash the cameras first, the film will be picked up and developed in one month. I will move to live in the sanctuary at the beginning of March.
Cost Distance
I spent the bulk of December back in the U.S. Before coming home for the holidays to visit my family, I spent 10 days at the Smithsonian Conservation and Research Center GIS lab. We looked at 3 years of camera trapping data from Khao Yai National Park and struggled with stepwise logistic regression models. The models incorporate variables such as distance to nearest road, ranger station, village, etc. to predict carnivore presence at the park. Most interesting, we made a map layer that assigns a cost to get to a camera trap point from the park boundary taking into account elevation (i.e. how accessible is the area to a poacher?). The time was very productive and with a bit more work, I am hoping to get a model that accurately predicts carnivore presence to proximity from people. In the best case scenario, we might be able to use the model to make management recommendations. For example, how would carnivore distribution change if the park increased protection measures in certain areas?
I am finalizing the models and plan to finish a draft manuscript (target “Animal Conservation”) by early January, before leaving for Thailand again.
I am finalizing the models and plan to finish a draft manuscript (target “Animal Conservation”) by early January, before leaving for Thailand again.
Red Tape
During November I became painfully familiar with the offices of the National Research Council, Provincial Town Halls, Consular Affairs, and Immigration. I spent a week traveling to four provinces where I plan to do interview surveys. I needed to show up in person and get signed letters of permission to begin work. Getting these signatures varied by office, from a wait time of four hours to 15 minutes.
Also, finally, after 5 different visits to three different offices, I obtained a research visa. This is essential for my long term work in the country.
As for research, I completed 100 interviews of villagers around Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary with help from the Sanctuary research staff. I learned to carry reading glasses with me to help facilitate the identification of wildlife photos by the older interviewees!
I will be back in Thailand (after a month’s break to the U.S.) to begin work in mid-January. I hope by that time the trapping permits for dholes will be secured…
Also, finally, after 5 different visits to three different offices, I obtained a research visa. This is essential for my long term work in the country.
As for research, I completed 100 interviews of villagers around Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary with help from the Sanctuary research staff. I learned to carry reading glasses with me to help facilitate the identification of wildlife photos by the older interviewees!
I will be back in Thailand (after a month’s break to the U.S.) to begin work in mid-January. I hope by that time the trapping permits for dholes will be secured…