| b |
As with many events in wildlife conservation, it was a chance meeting that
sparked a race against time to install a live camera feed from a wild dog den. A
race that proved ultimately challenging, but lead to an amazing opportunity to
view a wild dog den LIVE.
Blue Canyon Game Conservancy is a newly formed reserve located near
Hoedspruit, South Africa and managed by Tim Parker.
Tim had asked to borrow some camera traps from the Ingwe Leopard Project
and from there the story unfolds. Tim had placed a camera trap at the den site.
His initial thoughts being to do no more than check on dog movement.
However, excitement grew when the camera trap photographs showed that the
alpha female was lactating. Not only did we have wild dogs, but a den with
puppies down hole!
If a video camera could be placed at the site, then we could capture some
amazing dog behaviour data. But we had to move fast. In no way could we
afford to disturb mother and puppies once they emerged from the den.
We estimated that we had less than five days to design and build a camera
system, that could be moved in to the den site and beam a 24 hour live video
feed via the Internet.
Step forward Graham Wallington of wildearth.tv, and driving force behind many
wildlife film projects. Graham is an old friend of the Ingwe Leopard Project, but
more than that he is the innovative founder of wildearth.tv.
Graham offered to manage the project and it was through his invention and
hard work that the project came on steam on schedule.
Graham lead a team made up from a mixture of the wildearth.tv crew and Ingwe
Leopard Project volunteers. In only four days they designed and built a unique
portable, solar powered camera system, linked by microwave communications
to the wildearth.tv facilities at Djuma lodge Sabi Sands.
As you might imagine component parts were not easy to find, but somehow
Graham managed to pull all the pieces together.
Of-course that was only one hurdle to cross. Next we needed to find a way of
installing the system and establishing communication without affecting the
dogs.
Several wild dog experts advised on the best methods and following their
advise we devised and rehearsed a plan to swiftly move the system into place
and commission it as quickly as possible, while the dogs were out hunting.
To begin with things didn't go well. There were last minute technical problems
and we struggled to find a suitable location for the radio Athena. Concern
grew, but after a few tense attempts we had a working system. A great result
for all the team. Hopefully this camera will not only provide entertainment but
also vital data on the social behaviour of these magnificent, rare and
endangered animals.
History of this pack.
The original dogs were brought together in 2005. A total of seven dogs, two
females from Madikwe and five males from Marekele. They were initially
bonded as a pack in a holding boma for about three months, during which time
three dogs were collared. Two males and one female.
Two of the collars are VHF collars and one is a cellphone collar. The alpha
female at the time was Venus, the older Madikwe female. She had eight pups
soon after their release from the boma in may 2005. From there they roamed
into Olifants. It was at this time that one of the collared males - Lucky, was last
sighted being chased by a lioness, and has not been seen since.
The remaining dogs roamed as far as Ttinbavati and Phalaborwa, and it was at
this point that the team monitoring them finally lost track of them. The collar
batteries were by then, all flat. Nothing much was known about the pack after
that time, until they turned up on the Blue Canyon Game Conservancy last year.
sparked a race against time to install a live camera feed from a wild dog den. A
race that proved ultimately challenging, but lead to an amazing opportunity to
view a wild dog den LIVE.
Blue Canyon Game Conservancy is a newly formed reserve located near
Hoedspruit, South Africa and managed by Tim Parker.
Tim had asked to borrow some camera traps from the Ingwe Leopard Project
and from there the story unfolds. Tim had placed a camera trap at the den site.
His initial thoughts being to do no more than check on dog movement.
However, excitement grew when the camera trap photographs showed that the
alpha female was lactating. Not only did we have wild dogs, but a den with
puppies down hole!
If a video camera could be placed at the site, then we could capture some
amazing dog behaviour data. But we had to move fast. In no way could we
afford to disturb mother and puppies once they emerged from the den.
We estimated that we had less than five days to design and build a camera
system, that could be moved in to the den site and beam a 24 hour live video
feed via the Internet.
Step forward Graham Wallington of wildearth.tv, and driving force behind many
wildlife film projects. Graham is an old friend of the Ingwe Leopard Project, but
more than that he is the innovative founder of wildearth.tv.
Graham offered to manage the project and it was through his invention and
hard work that the project came on steam on schedule.
Graham lead a team made up from a mixture of the wildearth.tv crew and Ingwe
Leopard Project volunteers. In only four days they designed and built a unique
portable, solar powered camera system, linked by microwave communications
to the wildearth.tv facilities at Djuma lodge Sabi Sands.
As you might imagine component parts were not easy to find, but somehow
Graham managed to pull all the pieces together.
Of-course that was only one hurdle to cross. Next we needed to find a way of
installing the system and establishing communication without affecting the
dogs.
Several wild dog experts advised on the best methods and following their
advise we devised and rehearsed a plan to swiftly move the system into place
and commission it as quickly as possible, while the dogs were out hunting.
To begin with things didn't go well. There were last minute technical problems
and we struggled to find a suitable location for the radio Athena. Concern
grew, but after a few tense attempts we had a working system. A great result
for all the team. Hopefully this camera will not only provide entertainment but
also vital data on the social behaviour of these magnificent, rare and
endangered animals.
History of this pack.
The original dogs were brought together in 2005. A total of seven dogs, two
females from Madikwe and five males from Marekele. They were initially
bonded as a pack in a holding boma for about three months, during which time
three dogs were collared. Two males and one female.
Two of the collars are VHF collars and one is a cellphone collar. The alpha
female at the time was Venus, the older Madikwe female. She had eight pups
soon after their release from the boma in may 2005. From there they roamed
into Olifants. It was at this time that one of the collared males - Lucky, was last
sighted being chased by a lioness, and has not been seen since.
The remaining dogs roamed as far as Ttinbavati and Phalaborwa, and it was at
this point that the team monitoring them finally lost track of them. The collar
batteries were by then, all flat. Nothing much was known about the pack after
that time, until they turned up on the Blue Canyon Game Conservancy last year.
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| Research Cam |