The ongoing
NSF Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases funded study on the banded
mongoose of the Chobe region has kicked into high gear in 2016. Daily
troop tracking and monitoring continues as usual, along with the
capture and collaring of members from as yet unidentified troops, but
the team at Virginia Tech's Alexander Research Group has some
powerful new tools at their disposal to aid in the behavioral
analysis of these fascinating creatures. Sophisticated behavioral
analysis software to capture and analyse the data derived from
recorded behavior patterns is one of these, but this is useless
without a way of gathering this data in the first place.
Another powerful
tool, and one that will help to solve the problem of gathering this
data, takes the form of camera traps positioned around den sites.
These grant a rare and valuable insight into the daily lives and
activities of banded mongoose, unsullied by the proximity of
researches. It enables us to monitor and record group behavior in a
way never quite possible before: to gauge troop size and composition,
to assess the health of the troop as a whole, and then to assess the
progression of M. mungi any sick individuals. We can even
monitor interactions with the other species these animals live
amongst, including people.
All told, these
techniques will allow our researchers in the field to gain a newer
and fuller understanding of the troops that are part of our study,
and, what's more, to do so without having to be physically present.
This will not only save a lot of time, but will prevent observers
from disrupting or affecting the scenes, behaviors or interactions
that will come to form such a crucial part of this project.
Below is one of the
thousands of images so far captured by our trail-cams. These
pictures offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of these animals
as they forage, groom each other, keep watch (as the troop members
are doing in this particular image – they're cooperating to keep
tabs on all approaches to their den-site, which is just out of frame)
and even play. It's amazing to think that images like these, taken
together, will allow our team to gain a better understanding of the
social dynamics of these animals and, ultimately, the way these
dynamics offer pathogens like M. mungi the opportunity to
spread.
