Who would have thought I would be thrilled to be covered in tick bites? But I am…this is the dry season…and finally my first report from the field:
Moving right along, I set myself up to work and live in Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary. We completed another set of 100 interview surveys of villagers that live adjacent to the sanctuary. The interviews went something like this:
Interviewer: How do you feel about conservation?
Villager: I think all wildlife species should be saved for the next generation.
Interviewer: In the last year have you made any trips into the forest to collect things like mushrooms or to harvest animals?
Villager: Of course! Barking deer are yummy!
A large percentage of respondents (69%) agreed with that statement that “sometimes wildlife cause problems for me and my family.” Elephants, wild pigs, and macaques were listed as the most problematic species. There was no shortage of elephant horror stories.
I also walked six 6km transect lines in 6 days. The transects are set 3km apart and right now I am focusing on an area of 72 square km. I documented the presence/absence of large mammal sign every 50m to get a snapshot of the prey distribution and relative abundance in my study area. We also measured the strength of the cellular phone signal every 100m and setup eleven camera traps.
I have encountered 10 dhole signs (mostly feces, so I am waiting for a camera trap photo confirmation). We think it was dhole feces rather than domestic dog because it contained hair of mouse deer (not usually eaten by domestic dogs). There are few reported jackals in the area.
Yesterday I was invited to attend the capture of a problem gaur for relocation to Khao Khieo Open Zoo. I had the opportunity to meet the vets involved which may help with identifying a vet to help me with the capture of dholes. Unfortunately, the gaur died after anesthesia when it was positioned on its left side and heart had trouble pumping.
Next month I plan to continue camera trapping to confirm dhole presence.
Early Surveying
This month I kept busy with catch-up work and fulfilling organizational tasks. I completed a progress report for the National Research Council of Thailand about my interview work around Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary. Tomorrow I will move to live in the sanctuary and have planned another week of interview surveys of villagers.
In March, I plan to survey with camera traps in areas of the sanctuary where dholes have been sighted. I will also walk line transects to look for animal sign and test the extent of the cellular phone network coverage. This needs to be determined before purchasing a radio-collar and other field equipment. We are also working on identifying a trapper and Thai field vet.
My proposal was not accepted by Lindbergh Foundation for funding; however, it was included in the list of finalists which did rank my application in the top 13% of the 166 applications the Foundation received for 2008. I am still waiting to hear back about my Fulbright application.
In March, I plan to survey with camera traps in areas of the sanctuary where dholes have been sighted. I will also walk line transects to look for animal sign and test the extent of the cellular phone network coverage. This needs to be determined before purchasing a radio-collar and other field equipment. We are also working on identifying a trapper and Thai field vet.
My proposal was not accepted by Lindbergh Foundation for funding; however, it was included in the list of finalists which did rank my application in the top 13% of the 166 applications the Foundation received for 2008. I am still waiting to hear back about my Fulbright application.
Permits? Check!
WE HAVE PERMITS to trap and radio-collars dholes at Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary!!! 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.
In February I will focus on purchasing a radio-collar and field equipment, and identifying a vet and possible trapper. In the meantime, I continue to work on a draft manuscript from the camera trap data from Khao Yai National Park and to summarize my interview data.
We have partially secured funding through The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Conservation Endowment Fund (CEF) and the Smithsonian Endowment Fund to purchase one collar and finance basic project running costs for a couple of months. However, a continuing challenge is funding both for the project and my living expenses. I currently have no funding to expand interview surveys. This month I applied for a Smithsonian Predoctoral Fellowship.
I am also happy to report that I have been recommended for a Fulbright grant after preliminary stages of the competition in the U.S. My application has been forwarded to the supervising agency in Thailand for final review. This is my second time applying for a Fulbright. The first time, I was also selected by the U.S. committee, but rejected by the Thailand review. The National Screening committees recommend at least one and a half to two times the number of candidates as there are grants available to each country. So, for example, they may have recommended 15 to 20 candidates for Thailand, but there may only be 10 grants available. Selection is a lengthy process, and the final decision may not be made before the end of June.
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.
In February I will focus on purchasing a radio-collar and field equipment, and identifying a vet and possible trapper. In the meantime, I continue to work on a draft manuscript from the camera trap data from Khao Yai National Park and to summarize my interview data.
We have partially secured funding through The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Conservation Endowment Fund (CEF) and the Smithsonian Endowment Fund to purchase one collar and finance basic project running costs for a couple of months. However, a continuing challenge is funding both for the project and my living expenses. I currently have no funding to expand interview surveys. This month I applied for a Smithsonian Predoctoral Fellowship.
I am also happy to report that I have been recommended for a Fulbright grant after preliminary stages of the competition in the U.S. My application has been forwarded to the supervising agency in Thailand for final review. This is my second time applying for a Fulbright. The first time, I was also selected by the U.S. committee, but rejected by the Thailand review. The National Screening committees recommend at least one and a half to two times the number of candidates as there are grants available to each country. So, for example, they may have recommended 15 to 20 candidates for Thailand, but there may only be 10 grants available. Selection is a lengthy process, and the final decision may not be made before the end of June.