My field assistant continues to monitor our camera traps and will attempt to place GPS collars on 2 domestic dogs each month. My adviser, Nucharin Songsasen, is currently in Thailand seeking more information about our permit status, the capacity of our collaborators to analyze DNA from dhole fecal samples, and the feasibility of future trapping plans.
Good news: My proposal entitled "The Threat of Domestic Dogs to Endangered Dholes and Other Wildlife" was awarded $3,000 from Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Cleveland Zoological Society Conservation Grants Program.
Dhole Influx
December is definitely dhole month as we continued to get an influx of dhole and even jackal photos. This is exciting because jackals have not been verified in the sanctuary for years. My monthly goal was to place 4 GPS collars on domestic dogs. This was not met due to a number of unforeseen problems including weeks of downed cell-phone communications in the area, a collar manufacturer sending me an incorrect data download cable, conflicts with software and drivers, and problems with battery life and programming schedules. I did manage to put out two collars a week ago and I will follow-up with the dogs and download data at the end of this week.
At the end of November, my initial research permit of 2 years expired and we applied for an extension (which was supposed to take less than 1 month). It is nearing the two month waiting period for my research project extension. This has to be approved by the Thailand Department of National Parks (DNP) and passed on to the National Research Council of Thailand who then writes me a letter to enable me to apply for a research visa. Therefore, I cannot get a research visa until my permit extension is granted and I am told this will be an indeterminate amount of time. Because of recent changes in the DNP staff it does not look like I will have approval before my current tourist visa expires on January 14th. I cannot enter the country again on a tourist visa because I have used up the maximum of concurrent visas of this type. It appears it will be most useful for me to return to the US on the 14th of January and work at the Smithsonian’s GIS lab.
I am currently scrambling to make a new plan that will allow me to finish my dissertation. This may involve returning to Thailand this fall for further data collection. I would still like to track movements of domestic dogs as part of the disease aspect of my project and we don’t have the full results from the blood analysis disease tests yet either. I currently have 13 cameras out in the forest. We were using the cameras to keep track of our focal dhole pack for future trapping. Dhole collaring is now out of the time frame for my dissertation, but I would still like to pursue this as part of the overall project. I am working on a plan to pull all these cameras or work with my assistant to keep up some data collection while I am away. I also need to rapidly figure out how to store my supplies and personal belongings.
Bonus Photo
Our dhole pack is showing a healthy presence; we had multiple photos at most camera locations. The clouded leopard is an outstanding bonus.
This month took an unexpected turn because I lost my research visa due to a stamping error when I last re-entered the country. Despite two full days lost waiting in lines and politely arguing my point at the immigration office, I ended up having to leave Thailand for a couple of days to apply for a tourist visa. I now have a 60 day visa while I wait for my research permit extension (potentially 1-2 months) and then I can apply for a new research visa.
November 24-27 I participated in a workshop on the small mammalian carnivores of Thailand. It was an excellent exchange of information between researchers and conservationists involved in monitoring illegal wildlife trade. We spent hours checking the identification of species in camera trap photos and I learned to better distinguish mongooses, otters, and fishing cats. The group identified research priorities for groups of species and we discussed appropriate sampling and ways to increase data collection on the small carnivores for researchers who are currently using camera traps. The organizers brought together camera trap datasets from throughout Thailand. I will be able to access this collection to conduct a nationwide habitat-suitability model for dholes. I also plan to research the historical records for canids in Thailand now that I have tips on where to start my search.
At the end of the month Baa Jii (“Yaai”), my cook, gossip connection, and primary friend at the sanctuary passed away. I am now setting myself up to be a bit more isolated and on my own for food.
In December I will focus on tracking 4 GPS collars on roaming domestic dogs. I am *still* working on manuscript edits for a paper on the results of camera trapping in Khao Yai National Park. Plus, this week I will finalize edits from reviewer comments on a short large-spotted civet note. I also volunteered to help write up the strategy document that will be an outcome of the small mammal workshop. We hope to have the meeting proceedings finalized by Dec. 27th.
This month took an unexpected turn because I lost my research visa due to a stamping error when I last re-entered the country. Despite two full days lost waiting in lines and politely arguing my point at the immigration office, I ended up having to leave Thailand for a couple of days to apply for a tourist visa. I now have a 60 day visa while I wait for my research permit extension (potentially 1-2 months) and then I can apply for a new research visa.
November 24-27 I participated in a workshop on the small mammalian carnivores of Thailand. It was an excellent exchange of information between researchers and conservationists involved in monitoring illegal wildlife trade. We spent hours checking the identification of species in camera trap photos and I learned to better distinguish mongooses, otters, and fishing cats. The group identified research priorities for groups of species and we discussed appropriate sampling and ways to increase data collection on the small carnivores for researchers who are currently using camera traps. The organizers brought together camera trap datasets from throughout Thailand. I will be able to access this collection to conduct a nationwide habitat-suitability model for dholes. I also plan to research the historical records for canids in Thailand now that I have tips on where to start my search.
At the end of the month Baa Jii (“Yaai”), my cook, gossip connection, and primary friend at the sanctuary passed away. I am now setting myself up to be a bit more isolated and on my own for food.
In December I will focus on tracking 4 GPS collars on roaming domestic dogs. I am *still* working on manuscript edits for a paper on the results of camera trapping in Khao Yai National Park. Plus, this week I will finalize edits from reviewer comments on a short large-spotted civet note. I also volunteered to help write up the strategy document that will be an outcome of the small mammal workshop. We hope to have the meeting proceedings finalized by Dec. 27th.