Advanced Technology For Wildlife Monitoring

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Studying the behavior and life cycles of wildlife species is fascinating and challenging work. When we read natural history books that tell us about what animals eat, where they live, how far their ranges extend, who their predators are, how they breed and raise their offspring, how they interact with others of their species, and so much more, probably few stop to think about how all of that information was discovered and collected.

Most know the famous story of Jane Goodall, the British anthropologist and primatologist who accomplished such ground-breaking work with wild chimpanzees. With extraordinary patience over many years time, she observed a community of chimpanzees in Tanzania. The community of chimpanzees grew to trust her presence, allowing her to observe them closely, almost accepting her as one of them in time. Similar work was done by Farley Mowat of Never Cry Wolf fame who observed wolves in remote regions of Alaska, adding tremendously to our understanding of wolves. This type of direct observation is how much of our knowledge about wildlife species has been gained.

But what about species that can't be tracked, followed, and observed so closely for such a long period of time? For instance, humans can't take to the air to follow bird species to see where they're going and what they do when they get there. How far do they go and what limits their range? What do their diets consist of? How long do they live and when they die, what kills them? These and many more questions are asked and answered with creative techniques such as using a telemetry system to track the animals over a period of time.

With radio telemetry, a free-ranging animal is caught and tagged with a radio transmitter that sends signals allowing the animal's movements to be tracked. Detailed data is collected to tell us about that animal's habitat, range, mortality, and migratory routes. With technological advances making smaller and more powerful transmitters possible, radio telemetry is becoming an even more powerful tool for wildlife monitoring.

Biotelemetry technology advances knowledge even further by allowing researchers to not only track the animal's physical location and movements but also monitor physiological variables like heart rate and body temperature. The technology available to wildlife researchers today adds to our body of knowledge in ways that were never possible before to give us a greater understanding of species we share our planet with. It doesn't replace the patient observation that is still required for a greater understanding, but telemetry can tell us what's going on when direct observation isn't possible.

About the Author:
American Wildlife Enterprises (http://www.americanwildlifeenterprises.com/) feel certain that once you have had a chance to evaluate our products for wildlife monitoring and our different telemetry system options that you will become a life-long customer at AWE.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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