9=3 What?

After being in Bangkok for most of May, I finally made it back to the sanctuary 2 weeks after I originally planned. The barriers? First, the public bus wouldn't take my heavy crate full of equipment and batteries. So, I had to arrange to borrow a truck and hire a driver. This is of course a scheduling nightmare. Then, the opportunity came up to go back with workers from the sanctuary who were in Bangkok for a meeting. So, I canceled my driver. But, this is Thailand, and as always, the plans changed and fell through. Ok--rehire the driver. The trip ended up costing me over $200 when the bus would have been $5.

And, I arranged to pickup Yaai (the woman who cooks meals for me) on the way back. I was happy to be able to help her because she has been super sweet helping me get settled in my new environment. Over multiple phone conservations and change of plans, we finally got it settled. I would pick her up with my rental truck at 3pm. I was proud of myself for handling the phone conservations and not passing it off on my Smithsonian translator. Then, the morning of, Yaai called me at 9am wondering where I was. I was still sleeping and not fully clear and reiterated our 3pm meeting time. She called again 1 hour later to say she was getting a bite to eat. Ok. And I need to know this why? And then, 2 hours later, again wondering where I was. 3pm in Thai is "bpai saam mong." 9am in Thai is "saam mong." I thought I said 3pm, Yaai thought 9am. We never used the other words to clarify morning or afternoon. Oh. I felt awful. I should have clarified. I really felt awful. I wanted to do something good and helpful. And, I was angry at myself for being in Thailand so long and yet I still can't do something as basic as make phone plans!

I spent my birthday on Monday setting up cameras in the forest and caked with mud (we got the truck stuck for over an hour). Then, when I most needed a shower, my water pipe broke and I had to wait for a trip to the market for caulk.

Everyone here is hit hard by the cost of gas (now over $1.30 US per Liter) and the price of rice.

More Camera Woes

This month I continued my camera trap efforts to obtain confirmation of dholes in Khao Ang Rue Nai.  The road kill barking deer and hog badger carcasses only attracted monitor lizards.  Both carcasses (bones and all) were completely gone from the areas when we picked up cameras after two weeks.  Yet, I had only one or two photos.  This indicates the cameras’ infrared detection is not responding quickly.

We recently purchased 5 digital cameras.  I look forward to testing them in the field in June. I will also increase my time in the forest looking for dhole sign (footprints, feces).  I will identify a survey trail near water reservoirs (where dholes were seen in February of this year) and walk it daily.

I am working on a second revision of my dissertation proposal draft and including a new research direction.  Concurrent with my ongoing ecological study of dholes in the sanctuary, I also plan to evaluate the risk that domestic dogs represent to the health of dholes.  This will give me data without having to rely on the small chance that we can catch dholes.  To evaluate the risk of disease spill-over from domestic dogs to dholes at KARN, I will measure both species exposure to pathogens and estimate the contact rates of domestic dogs and dholes by radio-collaring domestic dogs.

The biggest hurdle to this plan is research permits.  In June I will begin the process of amending our current permits or applying for new project permits.

Camera Catastrophe

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.