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Title: Satellite technology and rare vultures ½Ã¬P°lÁa¤aøl Post by Carrie Ma on Jun 22nd, 2005, 9:56am Vultures play an important ecological role in their environment as they to remove dead livestock and other dead animals, even human corpses. Experts have warned that diseases such as rabies and anthrax may spread more easily without the effective scavengers. Here is a recent updates extracted from the BirdLife International website, http://www.birdlife.org/news/pr/2005/06/vultures_cambodia.html Satellite technology pinpoints behaviour of rare vultures 21-06-2005 Phnom Penh, Cambodia - BirdLife International and the Wildlife Conservation Society have announced a significant advance in the understanding and conservation of threatened vultures in Indochina. [1, 2, 3] Attempts to capture and study vultures in the dry forests landscape of northern Cambodia have proved challenging. Following a lengthy, concerted trapping effort in May 2005, WCS researchers were rewarded with the successful capture of seven vultures (three Slender-billed Vultures, two White-rumped Vultures, and two Red-headed Vultures). This trapping exercise was conducted while carrying out a “vulture restaurant?in Chhep District, Preah Vihear Province, northern Cambodia. [4] All birds were wing-tagged, leg-banded, and three birds (two Slender-billed and one White-rumped) were fitted with satellite transmitter units provided by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB; BirdLife in the UK) and released. Samples also were collected to determine the health status of the birds and their exposure to infectious disease. Satellite tracking provides an accurate, up-to-date, landscape overview of vulture behaviour and ranging patterns. Maps of the three satellite tagged vultures from May 2005 show that all 3 birds left the trapping area soon after capture and settled quite close to each other approximately 80 km to east. The greatest distance was covered by the White-rumped Vulture who travelled considerably further than the others, drifting through five provinces. One of the Slender-billed Vultures travelled north at one point settling along the Mekong River in southern Laos. Vultures are examples of what conservationists call “dispersed species?that range at low population densities over very large areas in search of food. "Hunting of Cambodia’s wild ungulates has greatly reduced the availability of food for the vultures, forcing them to forage over wider areas, and exposing them to risks beyond the confines of limited protected areas. This satellite tracking methodology has been used effectively in parts of South Asia and will provide a critical insight into the movements and home range of these vultures across the entirety of Cambodia’s dry forest landscape," notes Martin Gilbert, Regional Field Veterinarian for WCS Cambodia. "By fixing satellite transmitters and monitoring vulture movements, we develop a greater understanding of their range size, habitat preferences, and seasonal movements. This increased understanding of ecological parameters allows us to develop more effective, targeted conservation actions and management guidelines," states Dr Sean Austin, Programme Manager for BirdLife International’s Cambodia Programme Office. ENDS |
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