Ecology of Dholes in Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand.
Setting up a camera trap.
Dholes, or Asiatic wild dogs, are threatened with extinction, but overlooked with regards to conservation initiatives due to the lack of basic ecological information available on the species and because they are overshadowed by other charismatic carnivores like tigers. Even their unique whistling communication while hunting is poorly documented. For conservation actions, it is important to understand the processes that dictates the movements of animals, especially if the behavior will bring them into increased contact with people. For my dissertation work, in close collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, and Thai graduate students and rangers, I initiated an ecological survey of dholes in Thailand.
We conducted a photo-trapping survey at Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary (KARN), Thailand, from January 2008 through February 2010. Camera traps seemed to be an efficient way to pinpoint the location of elusive dholes in KARN for further study. However, much of this camera-trapping was done with fewer than ten available cameras. Our initial plan was to locate dholes to trap and place radio-collars on one individual from two or more packs. When this proved improbable for the time-frame of my dissertation, I was still able to use the photos collected. We documented dholes’ activity and breeding status in KARN, measured mean daily distance traveled, and identified areas where dholes and domestic dogs use overlapping areas.
Finally, on January 26th, 2010 the team captured our first dhole! My assistant, Lung Daeng, named the male “Suriya” which roughly translates as the time period of mid-morning. Based on his teeth, Suriya is five to six years old. We fitted him with a GSM/GPS collar. This collar records his location on a set schedule and stores the GPS locations in the collar. When Suriya ventures within range of a cell-phone tower, the data is emailed to my inbox.
We conducted a photo-trapping survey at Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary (KARN), Thailand, from January 2008 through February 2010. Camera traps seemed to be an efficient way to pinpoint the location of elusive dholes in KARN for further study. However, much of this camera-trapping was done with fewer than ten available cameras. Our initial plan was to locate dholes to trap and place radio-collars on one individual from two or more packs. When this proved improbable for the time-frame of my dissertation, I was still able to use the photos collected. We documented dholes’ activity and breeding status in KARN, measured mean daily distance traveled, and identified areas where dholes and domestic dogs use overlapping areas.
Finally, on January 26th, 2010 the team captured our first dhole! My assistant, Lung Daeng, named the male “Suriya” which roughly translates as the time period of mid-morning. Based on his teeth, Suriya is five to six years old. We fitted him with a GSM/GPS collar. This collar records his location on a set schedule and stores the GPS locations in the collar. When Suriya ventures within range of a cell-phone tower, the data is emailed to my inbox.
Related Publications:
| Camera-trap Records of Dholes in Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand |
| Mapping the Distribution of Dholes in Thailand |
