tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55653529746017470562024-03-21T03:16:31.979-07:00Makgadikgadi Zebra Migration ResearchJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-44238012471328473012014-02-20T01:41:00.000-08:002014-02-20T01:41:38.254-08:00Wild dogs and wildebeest<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It had been a while since I last
stood around a camp fire early in the morning in the Kalahari, nursing a coffee
as I slowly woke up. The grasses were wet from the previous day’s rain and the
early morning dew and clouds dotted the sky as the sun broke the horizon. We
were looking for wild dogs and so we had camped 15km from the nearest road
waiting for the location of a collared dog to be sent to us by a colleague
remaining in Maun. As we waited Mmoloki saw some movement a few hundred metres
away and calmly stated “wild dog”, as if they are a regular sighting and not
what we had driven 8 hours to try and find. Sure enough the dogs had come to us
but it was still early and the temperature was still cool so they weren’t going
to hang around. Thoughts of breakfast were forgotten, tents were quickly
collapsed and vehicles packed – the chase was on.</div>
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For nearly 5 years the wild dogs
of the CKGR have been studied but locating packs of dogs has always been a
challenge due to the sheer size of their home ranges. They think nothing of
travelling 30-50km in a day across thick bush with a very limited road network,
all in the search of sufficient prey. We had come to try and replace a couple
of collars on one of the two current study packs, the Molapo pack. One collar
was still sending a daily update of its location but we knew the batteries
didn’t have too much life left in them and it was now or never. We would have
to fly for the second pack, the Letiahau pack, to pick up a VHF signal in order
to lead in a ground team.</div>
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I began to track for the dogs by
VHF but was surprised to find that I was tracking the Letiahau pack. Could we
have mixed up the frequencies at some point? I double checked our records and there
was no mistake, we were on the trail of the Letiahau pack. Our original targets
would have to wait as we also had collars to change in this pack! </div>
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Within 30 minutes we had caught
up with the dogs but they were still on the move and not yet ready to settle
down for the day. A duiker was flushed from one bush and sped off as fast as it
could, there was only a half hearted chase from 2 or 3 dogs and it got away
easily. We could see the dogs heading for a small clump of trees a kilometre or
so away which would provide shade as the temperatures rose. Rob, our vet from
Maun, started to prepare a dart and we moved our equipment around so that we
were in a position to dart a dog if we could get close enough.</div>
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<i><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10.0pt;">Wild
dogs in the CKGR taking advantage of the available shade<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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As predicted, the dogs settled
down to rest in the shade and we were able to approach slowly. Everything went
like clockwork as our experience with darting animals allowed us to quickly get
into position. The dart went exactly where it was supposed to and within 5
minutes the dog was sedated. The remaining pack members maintained a safe but
curious distance as we first removed one collar and replaced it with a new
satellite collar. This male dog was soon on his feet and with the pack,
probably feeling a little confused but otherwise fine.</div>
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After allowing the dogs to relax
and find some shade to rest under, we prepared to dart a second dog. We wanted
to fit a second satellite collar so that if anything were to happen to the pack
we would still be in a position to track them. This time the dogs picked a
larger tree to rest under with no easy approach. So, without disturbing the
dogs, we approached slowly from behind the tree and realised that the trunk
split in two and we could see the dog we wanted to collar through the gap. The
shot didn’t look like it was on but Rob trusted his aim and pulled off a
remarkable shot to hit the dogs shoulder, missing the tree by millimetres. This
female was soon sedated, allowing us to fit the collar quickly and get her back
to the pack. </div>
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All this was completed before
lunch. Not a bad morning’s work. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10.0pt;">Fitting
a collar to a wild dog female while the pack observe us from close quarters<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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So what did we have lined up for
the afternoon? Well rather than rest on our laurels we still wanted to find the
dog we originally went down to the CKGR for. All we had to go on was a 9am fix
which was luckily only 5km away. However, we were 4 hours behind the dog and we
still didn’t know if the VHF was working. When we reached the last location
things initially didn’t look promising with no VHF signal so we feared the dogs
were long gone. We had a look around the area on foot and just as we were
thinking the dogs had not actually been here we found a track. The recent rains
meant that animals were leaving quite distinctive tracks and this first sign
was all we needed. Dabe began the hunt, much like a bloodhound, head down and focused.
He moved quickly despite the thick bush, occasionally doubling back when the tracks
faded or if the dogs had rested, going round some trees 2 or 3 times to make
sure he was on the freshest track. When tracking in the bush you never know
what is behind the next bush so you always try to have a vehicle close by. Dabe
was so focused on the tracks and determined to catch up with the dogs that he
practically walked right into them fast asleep. I’m not sure who was more
shocked, Dabe or the dogs!</div>
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We were only mid way through the
afternoon and we knew we had another 3 hours of daylight left to catch this dog
and change the collar. There were only two dogs though and they didn’t really
want us getting too close. With slightly thicker bush it meant it was difficult
to get an angle for a shot and when we were lucky enough to get an angle the dogs
swiftly moved. This went on for some time and resulted in couple of shots which
just missed as the dog moved. Just as we were starting to lose hope the dogs
moved into a slightly more open area and stayed still for just long enough. The
dart only just hit the back leg but it was enough. The dog was sedated. </div>
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We waited 10 minutes before we
approached to ensure that the dog wasn’t getting up. We stopped nearby and I grabbed
a sheet to cover the dog’s eyes. As I placed the sheet down over the dog’s head
he tried to get up. Clearly he hadn’t received a full dose and wasn’t
completely sedated. So with me holding the dog down, making sure my hands were
clear of sharp teeth and claws, Rob gave a small additional dose of tranquiliser
to ensure he would stay asleep while we changed the collar. As the sun began to
set we left the dogs to reflect on a good days work. We realised that this was
a young male, approximately 3 years old, who had dispersed from his pack and
was looking for a female to start a new pack. So what had happened to the
original molapo pack? At this stage we don’t know but it is one of our main
aims early in 2014 to locate this pack and replace the collars. We will keep
you updated.</div>
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<i><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
wild dogs showed no ill effects from the darting as we caught up with them the
following day<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Despite achieving more in one day
than we could ever have hoped for we were not finished. There was still one
wildebeest collar to deploy but we would have to travel to the northern reaches
of CKGR to meet Moses, the wildebeest researcher and find the right herd. Just
getting there would take nearly a full day so we set up camp near the largest
trees around and we were all asleep by 8pm! </div>
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A long but beautiful drive took
us to Leopard Pan in the north of the CKGR where Moses was hoping to fit a new
collar to the resident wildebeest herd. It never ceases to amaze me how a small
amount of rain can radically change the complexion of the Kalahari. With the
rains come new life but we were still a little early for the first springbok
fawns. It was, however, fantastic to see the herbivores moving back to the pans
to graze on the lush fresh grass.</div>
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After a night camping at Leopard
Pan Moses joined Rob to hopefully identify and dart an adult female while we
waited to assist by the edge of the pan. However, the females were just a
little too shy and the big herd male was very protective of them so Rob was
only able to dart the male. This was no problem as collaring the male would
still allow for herd movement to be recorded and for the herd to be tracked to
identify grazing resources. The collar was quickly fitted, additional
measurements recorded and this impressive male was soon back protecting his
herd. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This completed an incredibly
successful trip and one where I remembered why I love being in the bush. The
advancement in collar technology has meant it is possible for the location of
collared animals to be transmitted via satellite and email so we are able to
monitor animal movement remotely. This is a fantastic tool for a wildlife
researcher but it is still very important to physically locate the animal in
the field to monitor behaviour and resource use. This will continue throughout
2014 and we look forward to learning more about all of the species which KRC
students and staff are working with.</div>
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<i style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 10.0pt;">The KRC team with Rob at the end of a successful trip</span></i></div>
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James Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-51514401583962740952013-07-10T01:33:00.001-07:002013-07-10T01:36:35.855-07:00Summary of resultsFollowing the conclusion of fieldwork there were lots of data to analyse which took some time. However, the analysis is now complete and a summary of the results is posted below. If anyone would like to receive a full pdf of the final thesis then please email me at zebra@zebramigration.org and I will happily send this to you. This thesis was submitted for a PhD at the University of Bristol and the PhD was awarded to me in May 2013.I am currently working on a few papers emanating from the research for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.<br />
<br />
I have recently returned to Botswana to work with the CKGR research team studying predator-prey interactions within the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. Once things have settled down I will tell you a little bit more about the work that we are doing and what our current priorities are. If you have any questions or would like to contact me then please email me at zebra@zebramigration.org.<br />
<br />
Thank you to everyone who helped out in anyway during the research, your help was greatly appreciated.<br />
<br />
Dr James Bradley<br />
<br />
<b>Summary</b><br />
This research was initiated as a follow-up study to the research of Dr Chris Brooks conducted between 2001 and 2005. The research examined the foraging behaviour, spatial distribution and adaptability to environmental changes of plains zebra (Equus quagga) in the Makgadikgadi, Botswana, following the construction of an electrified fence in 2004. Seasonal changes in resource availability were documented and GPS collars were used to record detailed movement data. The ongoing population dynamics of the zebra population were recorded throughout the study and the impact of the fence on the migratory zebra population was assessed where possible.<br />
<br />
The results of this study show that zebra are highly adaptable and have the flexibility to respond to significant environmental changes, yet they need to continue to be able to move freely within the Makgadikgadi. Initial results suggest that the Makgadikgadi fence has had a positive impact on the zebra population but further monitoring is needed to assess the long-term impacts of fencing on the Makgadikgadi ecosystem and the resident wildlife. These findings add to those of Brooks (2005) and further our understanding of the resource requirements, spatial distribution and foraging behaviour of zebra in the Makgadikgadi.<br />
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During the research period, the Makgadikgadi was subject to significant environmental variability which influenced the spatial distribution and foraging behaviour of zebra. The Makgadikgadi experienced significant unseasonal rainfall in June 2009 which had a major effect on the location of the zebra herds within the Makgadikgadi. In addition, the Boteti River started to flow again in 2009 after a 20 year hiatus, significantly changing water availability for wildlife and livestock. Finally, a large bush fire in September 2010 removed nearly all of the available forage biomass, significantly influencing movement patterns and foraging behaviour. In addition to these one-off events, the Makgadikgadi experienced above average rainfall from 2008 to 2011 which led to increased forage growth across the Makgadikgadi when compared to the pre-fence study period.<br />
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Seasonal water availability determined the spatial distribution of zebra in the Makgadikgadi while forage quality and quantity was both spatially and temporally variable. The movement patterns of zebra reflected resource availability at multiple spatial scales and showed that zebra follow an area restricted search strategy. By adapting fine-scale foraging patterns to the quality and quantity of resources available, zebra were able to improve foraging efficiency. Zebra adopted an unselective foraging strategy at the feeding site, maximising intake rate and reducing the temporal and energetic costs of foraging during both a typical wet season and an atypical dry season. However, sites with increased forage dry matter were preferred in two of the three available habitats during the typical wet season. Pan grassland provided the highest quality forage with zebra taking advantage of fresh rains to move further into the pan grassland to forage. The mixed woodland and pan grassland habitats in CT/11 were used extensively throughout the wet season and were particularly important towards the end of the wet season as waterholes dry up.<br />
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When a large bush fire passed through the Makgadikgadi in early September 2010, environmental conditions changed overnight, yet zebra were able to adapt their behaviour to minimise the impact of the fire. They were required to extend their drinking interval, travel further and work harder to meet nutritional requirements. All of the collared zebra followed a similar post-fire strategy suggesting that zebra have learnt to be highly adaptive to the challenges faced within the semi-arid Makgadikgadi. Yet, despite the foraging restrictions caused by the fire, zebra were not required to push their physiological limits as much as was necessary during the long dry seasons of 2002 and 2003 (Brooks 2005). However, the impact of the fire may continue to be felt in the longer term as it may take 2-3 years for phytomass to return to pre-fire levels. It is also unknown how the increased demands placed on zebra after the fire will have affected survival rates of both adults and foals.<br />
<br />
Continuous GPS data collected from collars fitted to zebra made it possible to determine how environmental characteristics influence the foraging behaviour of a large herbivore. First-passage time analysis (FPT) of recorded GPS data made it possible to identify discrete movement paths and identify foraging patches. This analysis showed how the foraging behaviour of zebra within feeding patches reflected seasonal differences in resource availability and quality.<br />
<br />
<b>Comparison between pre-fence study and current study</b><br />
During the pre-fence study, zebra were recorded pushing their physiological limits; drinking on average every four days and foraging up to 35km from the Boteti riverbed (Brooks 2005). It was hypothesised that the construction of the Makgadikgadi fence and removal of livestock from the MPNP would influence zebra movement and foraging behaviour.<br />
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The current study found that zebra decreased their drinking interval to every 2-3 days but with occasional longer intervals of 4-5 days. However, while zebra foraged within 5km of the riverbed, something they did not do prior to the fence being constructed, they continued to select forage areas that were 15-20km from the Boteti River.<br />
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Before the fence was built, zebra were reliant on natural water seeps and two pumped waterholes in the riverbed for drinking water. However, these waterholes were also used by livestock and so competition for water was high. Following the erection of the fence and the consequent exclusion of farmers and livestock, zebra freely enter the riverbed throughout the day, even stopping to rest in the riverbed; something that did not happen pre-fence. The return of the Boteti River has provided abundant fresh water, resulting in zebra spending less than 0.5% of their time within 100m of the riverbed compared with nearly 5% of their time during the pre-fence study (Brooks 2005). Furthermore, while zebra are still vulnerable to predation around the riverbed, surplus killing is no longer evident. However, the observed changes cannot be attributed solely to the fence as forage and water availability were significantly different between the pre- and post-fence studies.<br />
<br />
Ground surveys were conducted during both the pre-fence study and the current study to record the population dynamics of zebra in the Makgadikgadi. These surveys focused on the recruitment of yearling zebra (1-2 years old) to the population as an indicator of population health. In 2003, there was a yearling recruitment rate of 16±3 (SD) yearlings per hundred adult females, while the current study recorded 23±4 yearlings. The yearling recruitment in the stable zebra population in Kruger National Park, South Africa was 17 yearlings per hundred adult females, suggesting that the Makgadikgadi population is currently in a healthy state and may even be growing. However, further monitoring is required to determine whether this high recruitment rate is maintained.<br />
<br />
The Makgadikgadi fence was designed to be a physical barrier to separate wildlife and livestock yet, in its current state, it is highly permeable. Over time, multiple crossing points through the fence have been established by elephants which have allowed unrestricted access to the Boteti River. These crossing points have subsequently allowed cattle and donkeys to enter the MPNP once more. The fence appears to have had a positive effect on the behaviour of zebra however. Restricting livestock access and the resulting removal of inter-specific competition for grazing resources may even be contributing to improved yearling recruitment. With this in mind, it is to be hoped that the fence can be modified and rebuilt in accordance with the Makgadikgadi Management Plan recommendations.<br />
<br />
References<br />
Brooks, C.J. (2005) The foraging behaviour of Burchell's zebra (Equus burchelli antiquorum). PhD Thesis, University of Bristol.
James Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-73627244999182845092011-06-10T00:35:00.001-07:002011-06-10T00:35:57.216-07:00End of fieldworkThey say that every good thing must come to an end. With the removal of the final GPS collar on 4th April, almost 2 years to the day since the first GPS collar was deployed, the current fieldwork phase for the project ended. It was sad to say goodbye to the zebra that I have been following closely for the last two years but a relief that we were successfully able to remove all of the collars. <br /><br />At the beginning of March the Makgadikgadi was incredibly dry, mosquitoes were non-existent (a very pleasant bonus) and waterholes were drying up. I began to wonder whether the zebra would have migrated prior to darting, really messing with my plans. I need not have worried though as the few small showers that taunted us were followed by a couple of bigger storms that passed through the park towards the end of March. The rain encouraged zebra out of the woodlands and back onto the pans and I swear you could even see the zebra smiling as the rain began to fall.<br /><br />However, by the time we began the darting, the zebra had moved away from the edge of the pans to the centre of the park, an area that they hadn’t visited since November. This is the traditional end of wet season area and from here many of the zebra will make the short journey back to the Boteti. Others will head east and gamble on there still being some water remaining in the surface waterholes before they too return to the Boteti.<br /><br />Thanks to the experience and skill of the vet, a little luck and sheer determination we were able to remove 10 collars in 5 days, a feat which didn’t seem possible after the first day when we were only able to find one collared zebra. We were also able to weigh all of the zebra with the heaviest zebra tipping the scales at 435kg! This zebra has a 5 month old foal at foot meaning that her weight is all muscle and fat reserves and, at more than 100kg heavier than what most books suggest is the average weight of a plains zebra, provides plenty of food for thought.<br /><br />My trusty Landrover also knew that the end was nigh and with the arrival of more rattles and creaks it was telling me that it needed some time away from the harsh Makgadikgadi and the numerous aardvark holes. <br /><br />I am now looking forward to the next phase of the project which involves the detailed analysis of all of the data collected so far. To do this I will return to Bristol to immerse myself in a world of papers, books and statistics to help understand what is happening within the Makgadikgadi. This is perhaps the most exciting phase of the project but one which will require a different set of skills to that needed for fieldwork.<br /><br />Due to the current location of zebra within the Makgadikgadi, and the likelihood that they will soon return to the Boteti, I have decided to delay the planned Aerial survey until January 2012. This is to ensure that the survey will be conducted at the best possible time and in the best possible conditions. I don’t want to rush the survey now and have an estimate of the population size that is not reliable. If anyone would be willing to support this survey then all contributions would be gratefully received.<br /> <br />I would like to thank everybody who has contributed in any way towards the success of the fieldwork phase of the project. This support is greatly appreciated and has helped make the last two years so successful and enjoyable despite the numerous challenges.<br /><br />As the write-up progresses I will keep you updated with new findings and interesting results. If you have any comments or queries about anything regarding the Makgadikgadi Zebra Research then please get in touch.James Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-27560523053874552192011-03-11T09:33:00.000-08:002011-03-11T09:36:47.510-08:00SmithsonianIt has been a relatively quiet month in the Makgadikgadi. Very little rain fell and so the ground has hardened up considerably making it easier to travel around as the zebra move off the pans and into the woodland areas and the grasslands closer to large waterholes. Rains in late February have encouraged zebra to move back down onto the pans while the water remains fresh. It will be interesting to see whether we continue to get late rains this year like we have for the past few years.<br /><br /><br />Fieldwork has continued throughout the month taking its toll on the research vehicle which is now visiting the car doctor for some expert love and attention. The research vehicle will be back with me soon as I conduct the last month of field data collection for this phase of the project. Then, at the end of March and into early April, all remaining collars will be removed from zebra with the assistance of a qualified veterinarian.<br /><br />There have been no unexpected sightings to report this month, I keep hearing Lions calling through the night but they remain elusive when day breaks. I have been conducting observations this month and it is fascinating to watch the dynamics within the zebra herds as bachelors look to start a harem while harem stallions fend off the attention of other males.<br /><br />I am continuing to plan the aerial survey which I hope to undertake either later this month or in early April. I would like to thank SAVE Foundation and Kalahari Kavango for their pledged support for this survey in offering to meet some of the costs. Additional funding is still required and if anyone feels that they might be able to support the project and help to meet the costs of this survey then please let me know. I am also still looking to secure funding for the chemical analysis of grass and faeces samples collected during fieldwork. Any support for either of these targets would be greatly appreciated.<br /><br />The Makgadikgadi Zebra Research project is featured in the latest issue of The Smithsonian Magazine which chose to make it the cover story. The story was written by Robyn Keene-Young who visited the project in November 2010 in order to learn more about the research, its aims and the challenges faced while working in the Makgadikgadi. Robyn provides a very good view of the research and the feedback that I have had so far has been very promising and I am glad that so many people are interested in the research. You can read the story at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/issue/March_2011.html. There is also a video of zebras and the research on the website which you might be interested in watching.<br /><br />I hope that this finds you all well and if you have anything which you would like to comment on then please feel free to get in touch.James Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-13092318273419865062011-02-13T03:45:00.000-08:002011-02-13T03:47:30.862-08:00A New YearAs with much of Southern Africa, and seemingly many other places in the world, Botswana is currently receiving some fairly heavy rainfall. Maun is getting rain nearly every day while the level of the floodwaters coming into the delta from Angola, as a result of rainfall there, is currently higher than previous records for this time of year. The Makgadikgadi is also receiving some good rains but these are often very localised heavy showers with only the occasional storm affecting the whole park. This means that the pans are getting progressively wetter and muddier making conditions a little tricky in places. So far I have avoided getting stuck but there have been times when it’s been touch and go!<br /><br />Throughout January the zebra have been grazing on the grass islands along the edge of the pans. With the presence of fresh rainwater in the pans and waterholes these grass islands, where the grasses there have grown significantly in the last month, become easily accessible and the zebras are making the most of it. <br /><br />Newborn zebra foals and wildebeest calves are thriving and it is interesting to observe the differences in their behaviour. Wildebeest calves of a similar age join together in large crèches and run around while their mothers graze. Foals on the other hand largely stay with their mothers within the family harem, only playing with other foals if they are from the same harem.<br /><br />We have had a busy month of fieldwork with behavioural and grazing observations conducted, population counts done and water, faeces and grass sampled. With all of the zebra on the pans it makes them slightly easier to find with less time spent travelling between areas searching for the herds.<br /><br />When water sampling we spotted a lone cheetah sitting on a ridge a few hundred metres away. We approached slowly as cheetah in the Makgadikgadi are often very nervous but unusually this one was incredibly relaxed and not fazed by the car at all. After taking a couple of photos we moved to carry on with the sampling when I realised that 15 zebra were about to walk straight past where the cheetah had laid down and so I moved back to a ridge a hundred metres or so away to watch what would happen. Through my binoculars I watched the cheetah scan along the line of zebra and settle on the smallest foal. When the foal was at its closest point the cheetah took off and rapidly caught up with the foal bringing it down. Within seconds of the cheetah getting the foal, the foal’s mother and father were on the scene defending the foal and trying to chase the cheetah away. At the second attempt they succeeded and the cheetah retreated to a nearby bush but the foal stayed down. Around a minute passed before the foal sprang back to its feet and trotted rapidly off in the opposite direction to rejoin the harem having only a slight scratch on its rump but a more serious cut on its face to show for its close brush with death.<br /><br />It all happened so quickly that it is difficult to piece together the images of the event in my mind. I was torn between wanting the foal to survive the attack but also wanting the cheetah to complete its hunt successfully as predator hunts often fail with only around 1 in 4 hunts successful. It was, however, fascinating to watch the zebra come in to defend their foal without hesitation and I have no doubt that the cheetah, a big and healthy male, will be more successful in the future.<br /><br />I am now into the last few months of fieldwork for the project and I am looking to complete the last few pieces of the jigsaw. As well as taking the remaining GPS collars off in early April, I am hoping to conduct an aerial population count of zebra within the Makgadikgadi. I have tried to plan this in the past but have had to postpone it due to a lack of funding. I am planning this now and, as with anything that involves flying, it is likely to cost a significant amount of money – around £1,000. <br /><br />To understand more about the movement of zebra within the Makgadikgadi and the reasons behind this movement, I have been collecting grass and faeces samples for analysis. The influence of dietary protein and minerals is going to be very important in understanding more about the zebras’ movement and long-term requirements. These samples are sorted initially at the Okavango Research Institute in Maun but to be analysed in more detail it is likely that I will have to send them to South Africa. To get these samples analysed I will have to pay between £5 and £10 per sample depending on the analysis required and due to the number of samples I am expecting to have to pay £2,500 to £3,000 for this analysis.<br /><br />If you feel that you would able to contribute towards meeting the costs of the aerial survey or the sample analysis then I would be very happy to hear from you and any assistance would be greatly appreciated. I should also remind you that all donations are tax deductible. <br /><br />Best wishes to you all,<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-60220635862759452702011-01-04T03:09:00.000-08:002011-01-04T03:11:10.793-08:00Happy New Year2011 has arrived leaving me wondering what happened to 2010 which just seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye. Maybe the Mayan prophecy for 2012 is correct after all!<br /><br />December began with zebra spread out across the Makgadikgadi with some still drinking from the Boteti River and grazing nearby whilst others were grazing on the eastern boundary of the National Park. Rains had been quite light and sporadic with only a few of the surface waterholes containing water. This meant that many of the zebra chose to remain near to the Boteti River until there had been further heavy rainfall to ensure that there would be drinking water available to them before they headed east. Other zebra decided to take a risk and moved east in the knowledge that there should be some water available to them but they would have to search for it.<br /><br />Unfortunately, one of the collared zebra which had remained near to the Boteti River had a very close encounter with the resident lions. They are two of the biggest female lions people have ever seen with both weighing over 200kgs and so it is no surprise that the collared zebra didn’t survive the encounter.<br /><br />As December wore on everything began to dry out even more until a couple of big storms passed through just before Christmas. One storm caught me whilst we were grass sampling and instantly flooded the roads causing us to seek shelter and wait for the storm to pass – we were sat there for 3 hours! As always, the sun eventually reappeared and quickly began to dry everything out once more allowing us to carry on with our work.<br /><br />With the recent storms it appears that the zebra herds have finally migrated east with large numbers being seen around Jacks Camp. I hope that this means that the wet season has now arrived in earnest which brings its own challenges. I’m sure it won’t be long before the mosquitoes are everywhere and I will have to be very careful not to get stuck in the wet mud of the pans!<br /><br />With the arrival of the rains comes new life. In the last update I mentioned how one of the collared zebra had recently given birth, I can now add that a further collared zebra gave birth around the 10th December. There are more foals being born all of the time and it is quite incredible to see so many young foals within the herds.<br /><br />I have recently posted some photos from the Makgadikgadi in 2010 to my website and if you click on the following link you can view these images - http://www.zebramigration.org/gallery/<br /><br />I would like to thank you all for your support for the research during 2010 and I hope that this continues through 2011. I hope that you all have a very happy and prosperous 2011.James Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-17506264897494088292010-11-28T07:01:00.000-08:002010-11-28T07:04:09.365-08:00Pula!After months with barely a cloud in the sky the first rains have arrived turning Botswana green once again. It is incredible to see the influence of rain and how even bare soil rapidly turns into a lush carpet of grass and herbs. Beetles, moths, butterflies, millipedes, frogs and scorpions have all returned en masse with the frogs feeding particularly well on flying termites. <br /><br />Within the Makgadikgadi there was sufficient rain to encourage the zebra to migrate east to access the lush growth which has emerged following the fire with the grasslands looking like they have been especially cultivated to grow grass in order to feed the thousands of hungry mouths. However, the rains received so far have not been enough to really fill the waterholes and so they are now nearly all dry again until the next good rainfall. This has meant that the zebra have had to move from the grasslands back to the Boteti or head north west where there has so far been more rainfall. Botswana has been predicted to receive above average rainfall this year and so the zebras, as well as the researchers, will just have to patient!<br /><br />Since the first rains the Makgadikgadi has begun to look like a large nursery with offspring of zebra, gemsbok, impala and springbok being born as each species maximises the positive effect of the rain. A collared zebra has been one of the many zebra to give birth so far and both foal and mother looked in very good condition when they were observed last week. Being born at the start of the wet season gives the foal a great chance to successfully negotiate the difficult first year of its life. I have named the foal ‘Pula’ which means ‘rain’ in Setswana. Rains are so important to life in Botswana that ‘Pula’ also means money and through the research I have certainly come to realise the importance of both! <br /><br />Throughout the dry season zebra are reliant on the Boteti River as the only place where they can access drinking water. However, due to the need to find grazing of both sufficient quantity as well as quality, it was necessary for zebra to regularly be travelling 20-25 km away from the river and only drinking once every 3-4 days. By only drinking infrequently zebra are able to maximise the length of time which they spend in the grazing area. However, one collared zebra avoided this journey entirely by remaining on the western side of the river near to Leroo La Tau in an area 5km x 2km in size between the river and the fence for four months! She crossed the river into this area on June 20th and only crossed back again after the first rains in November. <br /><br />Nearly 3 months have passed since the bush fire spread through the Makgadikgadi in early September. It was horrific to see the impact of the fire with such a large area comprehensively burnt but the ability of nature to respond to such extreme events is always amazing to see. Many of the burnt areas are now thick with fresh grass and the contrast between burnt and un-burnt areas is very noticeable with herbivores favouring the burnt areas. The long-term repercussions of the fire are still to be seen but may ultimately prove to be positive as the fire removed the old grass which forms dense, unpalatable tufts and allowed for new grass tufts to begin again with fresh growth which is more easily grazed by all herbivores. <br /><br />I will continue to monitor the weather with interest as we wait for the rains to being in earnest. As ever if you have any questions or comments then please feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.James Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-40576713530291533342010-11-06T02:49:00.000-07:002010-11-06T02:50:39.023-07:00Fire!September has been and gone with the temperatures steadily rising as we wait for the first rains of the year. By the start of September all of the collared zebra were found in the Boteti region of the Makgadikgadi in order to drink the fresh river water as all waterholes in the eastern Makgadikgadi had dried up.<br /><br />It has been a long and tough month within the Makgadikgadi as massive bush fires gripped the park in early September. On 6th September the fire spread through the whole park from east to west having started outside the national Park in an area around some cattle posts. I think it was started by a farmer burning a field to promote new growth for his cattle and it spiralled horribly out of control due to the strength of the wind. <br /><br />The morning after the fire started I was heading through the park to do grass sampling but got blocked by the fire which was burning across the road. After travelling off road to get around the fire, I rejoined a road where the fire was burning to the north, east and west of us without knowing how far the fire had spread. Driving through the burnt grassland with nothing but black ash left we saw Steenboks and Gemsboks looking very confused with their new surroundings as they tried to find shade and food. <br /><br />On the drive into Khumaga and the Boteti we came across two groups of around 500 zebra huddled close together and clearly in a state of shock all standing around not knowing what to do. Other herds of zebra had fled from the fires and remained close to the Boteti in unburnt areas waiting to see what happened next. By this stage the fire was continuing to burn throughout the park and continued to head west towards Meno A Kwena and the tar road. <br /><br />The fire burnt for a few more days as it back burnt through thick grassland. The fire even burnt through the trunks of some mature Leadwood trees causing the trees to topple. Driving through the burnt areas was horrifying as we saw the true scale of the devastation while trying to avoid areas that still smouldered even up to a week after the fire had passed through. A massive area of the park has been burnt which is visible if you look at the following two satellite images taken just before and just after the fire. Click on the links below and look for the white salt pans towards the centre of the image and then look to the area North and West of the pans before and after.<br /><br />Pre-fire: http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?subset=SERVIR_Africa_South_Central.2010248.aqua.1km This is at 1km resolution but by clicking on the 250m alternate pixel size link near the top of the page you can get a more detailed image<br /><br />Post-fire: http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?subset=SERVIR_Africa_South_Central.2010252.aqua.1km The same resolution applies for this image but unfortunately there is a bit of cloud around so is not quite so clear.<br /><br />Within days of the fire passing through the Makgadikgadi, new green shoots were seen coming from the burnt tufts of grass. Despite there still being some fairly large areas which survived the fire, zebra and other herbivores were seen to be actively choosing to graze in the burnt areas on these lush green shoots. These shoots are high in nutrients and provide good grazing but as they are quite sparse the zebra need to constantly be on the move to find sufficient grazing resources. One collared zebra has been recorded 31km from the nearest point where it could access the water in the Boteti River as it searches for suitable grazing as well as going for up to 5 days between drinking bouts. <br /><br />I am heading back down to the Boteti region this week in order to continue fieldwork. I will be particularly interested to see exactly where the zebra are grazing as well as assessing any changes in their body condition as a result of the fire. I am also interested to see whether the behaviour of the zebra has changed and whether they have adjusted their activity patterns in order to find sufficient nutrients.<br /><br />Fires are often an ecological disaster but they have the potential to rejuvenate grass sward by removing the moribund grass and allowing for fresh growth. However, unless the rains are forthcoming and persistent, it may take sometime for the sward to restore itself. I will monitor with interest how the Makgadikgadi changes over the next few months and what effect this has on the zebra.James Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-82348837949247278142010-11-06T02:43:00.000-07:002010-11-06T02:45:51.880-07:00Lions 1 - Zebras 0August has been another busy month in the Makgadikgadi as the temperatures have steadily increased and I have recorded a high of 35oC while observing a collared zebra. There has also been a steady increase of Elephants in the eastern Makgadikgadi and while out one day I came across 14 male elephants feeding near to the research camp and merrily pushing down any tree they felt like.<br /><br />With the increase in temperature the waterholes in the Jacks Camp area are rapidly drying up with only 2 major waterholes remaining. It won’t be long before these too are dry and the zebra are forced to migrate to find suitable water resources. There is currently only one collared zebra remaining in the east as every other collared zebra has migrated to the Boteti region. <br /><br />It so far seems that the collars which were deployed at the end of July to replace broken GPS collars are working well and providing some interesting data. The zebra in the Boteti region have divided themselves into two distinct groups with those which migrated earlier in the year drinking from and grazing in the area surrounding Meno A Kwena while those which migrated later currently drinking from the river around Khumaga and Leroo La Tau. Despite being in different areas they are following similar drinking patterns as they come into drink every 2-3 days.<br /><br />Unfortunately one GPS collar is no longer sending through GPS data after the zebra had an extremely close encounter with some Lions and came off second best. This was one of the few zebra which had retained her original collar from March. It’s a shame that the Lions chose the collared zebra but it goes to show that predation is a serious risk for zebra in the Makgadikgadi.<br /><br />I would like to thank those of you who have generously provided additional funding to the project in the last couple of months. Fundraising is an ongoing process as I look to meet the running costs of the project as well as significant one-off costs. These include darting zebra to replace and remove collars, the chemical analysis of grass and faecal samples and an aerial population count of the zebra herd which I hope to conduct in early 2011. All donations can be tax-deductible and if you would like to support the project in anyway then please contact me.James Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-54549318328392588702010-08-15T07:30:00.000-07:002010-08-15T07:32:16.668-07:00Beware of rivers!Dear all,<br /><br />July has come and gone in a flash as the dry season continues. The Boteti River has risen significantly and having recently passed Rakops is now closing on Mopipi and Lake Xau. The river was deeper than I expected and unfortunately caught me out as I got stuck trying to cross. Thanks to Leroo La Tau I was recovered from the river but with everything a little wetter. Upon later examination it turned out that there was an electrical immobiliser in the car which I was unaware of and which had been disabled previously but upon getting wet it became active once more and caused all of the electrics to cut out leaving me stranded. Needless to say the immobiliser has since been removed but I don’t intend to try and cross the Boteti again except by boat!<br /><br />In the eastern Makgadikgadi the remaining surface waterholes are drying up but there is still enough water in some of the deeper waterholes to provide sufficient water for a few thousand zebra and wildebeest. The remainder of the zebra population has already migrated back to the Boteti and are making full use of the fresh Boteti river water. <br /><br />The movement data provided by the GPS collars is very interesting and is raising many more questions. In the Boteti zebra are regularly choosing to graze 18km away from the nearest source of water while one zebra has been recorded 23.5km from the nearest source of water. The zebra are actively choosing to walk past areas which appear to have good quality grass in order to reach their current grazing areas. What is it about these areas which the zebra will walk such large distances for? How do the zebra know how to find these areas and return to them so regularly? Why have some zebra migrated back to the Boteti while others have remained in the Eastern Makgadikgadi? What triggers the zebras to migrate? These are just some of the many questions which I am looking to answer through this research.<br /><br />During the last week of July I went with a veterinarian to try and replace the broken GPS collars with new replacement collars. We knew that it would be difficult as the last time we tried to remove collars it took us 8 days to remove 7 collars. <br /><br />We headed to the pans of the eastern Makgadikgadi first to locate any collared zebra which had yet to migrate. I had tracked 3 collared zebra in this area less than one week before and so was hopeful that we would be able to find them now. During the course of two days and following lots of VHF tracking we located and replaced the collars on the only two collared zebra which we could find. This meant that all of the remaining collared zebra had (I hoped!) to be in the Boteti region to which we headed next.<br /><br />After stopping countless times in order to scan the area using VHF tracking equipment and many kilometres of off-road driving the remaining 4 zebras with broken GPS collars were located and eventually darted. The thick acacia scrub around the Boteti made things both easier and more difficult at the same time. It was made easier in that we could get closer to the zebra than in the open grasslands where it is difficult to get 50 metres away from the collared zebra. It was more challenging because of the number of bushes and tall grasses which were often between us and the zebra and through which a dart can not travel. Patience, as ever, was the key and we were ultimately successful and were able to replace all of the broken collars.<br /><br />After the successful darting there are 10 zebras collared in the Makgadikgadi once more and hopefully these collars will remain on the zebra until March 2011. I will keep checking on them each month to see where they are and to make sure that the collars are still working.<br /><br />If anyone has any comments or queries about the research then please contact me.<br /><br />Best wishes to you all and thank you for your continued support.<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-72632566285678069692010-07-19T03:40:00.000-07:002010-07-19T03:42:04.916-07:00Winter arrives!June has come and gone and winter is officially here. I woke up one morning to find ice on my windscreen and an air temperature of 0.8oC. Getting out of the tent before dawn when it is this cold is not appealing but I know that by October I will be wishing for winter once more. The Boteti River is also rising significantly and it is now no longer possible to drive across the river at Leroo La Tau. Earlier this month the water level rose 7cm in 2 days.<br /><br />Within the Makgadikgadi there are now two distinct populations of zebra. There are those which have remained around the seasonal waterholes in the east and those which have migrated back to the Boteti River. The fact that there are so many around the Boteti is quite confusing as there is still so much water available to the zebra in the east around the open grasslands. Perhaps the urge to migrate and follow traditional movement patterns is stronger than we think. Or maybe the grazing in the west around the Boteti is significantly better – although at first glance this doesn’t appear to be the case. It may even be linked to predation or the prevalence of mosquitoes in the east which has caused the zebra to migrate west. <br /><br />I am now working hard to collect as much data as I can from both the eastern and western Makgadikgadi to try and understand what is currently occurring. Grass and faeces samples are being collected to compare the quantity and quality of the available grazing resources. The remaining waterholes are still being sampled in the east to record water quality changes and behavioural observations are being conducted to record activity patterns.<br /><br />Towards the end of June I received the replacement GPS collars which I am hoping to deploy during July. Locating and darting collared zebra is always a challenge as they seem to know that they are being targeted and so the darting process is likely to take some time. There is also a significant cost involved with the darting which I had not expected and so I am now looking to raise funds to help cover these costs. If you feel that you might be able to help with these costs then please let me know and I would look forward to hearing from you. <br /><br />If you have any questions or comments about anything to do with zebras and the research then please feel free to get in touch.<br /><br />Best wishes to you all,<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-50833513538077107142010-05-27T01:34:00.000-07:002010-05-27T01:36:04.231-07:00Migrating?Dear all,<br /><br />It has been another interesting month here in the Makgadikgadi. The first month since August 2009 where I can’t remember any rain falling and where the mosquitoes have been happy to bite anything repeatedly and regardless of whether repellent was applied or not! Fortunately, they now appear to be slowly diminishing as the weather starts to turn colder and the shallow pools are gradually drying up. The deep waterholes remain and will do so for a considerable time to come as evaporation rates slow down.<br /><br />Of the 10 collars which were deployed in late March and early April, there are only 4 collars still working and only 2 of these working as they should. Unfortunately, this means that I have to replace all but the 2 working collars with replacement collars that are being provided by the collar company. Not only has this lost valuable fieldwork time as well as valuable GPS data which have not been collected, but I will also have the additional costs associated with darting zebra. I am hoping that I will be able to change the collars in June but this depends on when the replacement collars are available.<br /><br />Fieldwork has continued during May with the assistance of Rob, Dutch and Matt who have been kind enough to brave the mosquitoes with me. I have visited over 200 known waterholes, as well as found quite a few more, in order to record water availability and quality. I have also sampled grazing sites, collected faecal samples and conducted behavioural observations. It’s amazing how quickly a month can disappear.<br /><br />As a result of the collar problems, it has proven to be significantly more challenging to find the zebra. It is amazing how well herds of 1,000 or more zebra can seem to disappear in the Makgadikgadi. They tend to stay very close to each other and move slowly across the ecosystem to find fresh grazing each day. When you see them like this they appear to be like a shoal of Sardines or a flock of Quelea: constantly changing shape but always linked.<br /><br />Starting in the east, where some remain, during May the zebra have moved across much of the Makgadikgadi towards the centre of the Park. Some, however, have gone a step further and have migrated west to the Boteti and there are now two collared zebra in the Boteti region. <br /><br />This migration was unexpected as there is still so much rain water remaining in the surface waterholes of the eastern Makgadikgadi. Exactly how many are in the Boteti is unknown but I am hoping to fly this weekend which will allow me to look at the bigger picture. All of the remaining collared zebra are still grazing in the centre of the park and it will be interesting to see whether they choose to go east or west as there does not appear to be much surface water remaining in this area.<br /><br />The migration of zebra back to the Boteti raises some interesting questions. Why have they migrated when there are still large quantities of water and grass in the eastern Makgadikgadi? What triggered this movement? Will the zebra remain in the Boteti region for the rest of the dry season? Will the remainder of the zebra in the Makgadikgadi migrate west as well or will there be two groups – 1 in the west and 1 in the east? How do the grazing resources differ between the two areas?<br /><br />I will look to collect data to help answer these questions in the coming weeks as well as continuing to monitor the movements of the zebra.<br /><br />If you have any comments or questions then please feel free to contact me at any time.James Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-23877037589095655562010-04-02T23:26:00.000-07:002010-04-02T23:27:20.481-07:00Darting 2010: Part AAs we approach the supposed end of the wet season, Botswana continues to receive regular rains in what is proving to be another good wet season. I am told that Central Kalahari is receiving its heaviest rainfall of the year while the Makgadikgadi has been receiving intermittent storms. The continued rains will be a further boost to zebra in the Makgadikgadi as they are able to make the most of grazing on the nutritious grass islands in the salt pans. I will soon be spending much more time in the Makgadikgadi with the zebra as the latest field season gets underway. However, it is first necessary to collar 10 random adult mares with GPS collars.<br /><br />After the collars were returned to Botswana from Germany, where they have been refurbished with new battery packs, we headed down to the pans on the 26th March to try and collar 5 zebra. Putting collars onto random zebra mares is theoretically a much easier task than locating and darting a collared zebra so as to remove the collar. However, we did learn in December when we were removing the collars that zebra are much more relaxed first thing in the morning and will let you drive closer to them. We were therefore still up long before dawn to give us time to find a herd of zebra as the sun was creeping up over the horizon.<br /><br />After persistent drizzle through the night we could not have asked for a nicer day with clear skies and, more importantly, relaxed zebra. These zebra were in groups of between 50-100 individuals and were happily grazing quite close to the research camp so we did not have far to go. When we were able to get close enough to dart the first zebra after only 10-15 minutes of effort we knew things were looking good. <br /><br />The major challenge was for me to identify an adult mare and then to explain to the vet which one I was looking at. This might not sound to be a challenge but when all zebra have black and white stripes, and are stood close to each other grazing, identifying a specific zebra and explaining to someone else which one it is can be quite a challenge. I usually try to find an identifying feature that makes the zebra more noticeable and this is often to do with the stripe pattern or the colouration.<br /><br />While a zebra is sedated and we are working to fit the collar and take the relevant measurements, the rest of the herd stay nearby and continue to graze while watching us from a safe distance. Often the sedated mare’s stallion will stay much closer, observing us while we work and waiting for the safe return of his girl. <br /><br />Once we had successfully darted and collared a zebra we then moved a little further away to find a different herd of zebra and to start the process all over again. We had 5 GPS collars to deploy during this first trip which we achieved this in less than a day and a half. I only hope that when we head back down to the pans in a week’s time things continue to go well for us.<br /><br />If you have any questions about anything to do with the darting process then please feel free to get in touch.<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-60414102678126177032010-03-03T08:38:00.000-08:002010-03-03T08:39:15.469-08:00The Wet SeasonWhile Maun and the Okavango Delta have been receiving both good and consistent rainfall since early November, much of the rest of Botswana has so far received intermittent rains. Recently the Makgadikgadi had been very dry for the time of year and it was possible to drive across the pans from the south without the worry of getting stuck. However, this all changed last week with over 200mm falling within a few days. With further rainfall to be expected before the end of March it looks likely that the zebra will remain in the eastern Makgadikgadi for the foreseeable future. In 2009, 180 mm of rain in June provided sufficient water to allow zebra’s to graze for more than 3 months in the eastern grasslands. I wait to see how long this most recent rain will keep them in the east for. <br /><br />Over the next few weeks I will be based in Maun, finalising my plans for the upcoming field season as well as continuing with my fundraising in order to ensure a successful year. The first major step will be to redeploy the GPS collars now that they have had new batteries fitted to them. This will take place towards the end of March while the zebra are in the east and will involve the identification and darting of 10 random adult zebra mares.<br /><br />I hope that you are all having a good 2010 and, as ever, if you have any questions or comments then I would like to hear from you.<br /><br />Best wishes,<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-70015447583678462502010-02-01T14:04:00.000-08:002010-02-01T14:09:25.471-08:002009 - A summaryIn early April 2009 I collared 10 zebra mares within the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park so that I would be able to follow the movements of these zebra throughout the year. Due to regular rainfall throughout the year, 2009 has been an eventful and prosperous year for the Makgadikgadi zebra. The zebra have been able to remain in the open grasslands of the Makgadikgadi to feed on grass which has not stopped growing all year. All of this has meant that the zebra foals born during the 2008-09 wet season have had a great chance to survive their first year of life – typically the hardest for any animal.<br /><br />During the 8 months since the collars were deployed, 1 collared zebra was killed and eaten by lions in July and 2 of the remaining 9 GPS collars failed due to technical problems. Despite the problems I have been able to collect over 150,000 GPS positions from the 10 collared zebra thus allowing me to view up-to-date movements in response to rainfall, the drying up of waterholes and grass availability. <br /><br />The fieldwork I have conducted during 2009 has been an incredible learning experience for me with a lot of valuable data collected. Since deploying the collars I have studied the grass that the zebra choose to eat and the waterholes where they prefer to drink. I have also observed the behaviour of zebra by conducting sunrise to sunset observations with additional observations of their grazing behaviour. Samples of grass, water and faeces have been collected for more detailed analysis later so that I can study how the zebra are making the most of limited water availability. During 2010 I will look to build on the data collected in 2009 as well as collecting other types of data to help answer my questions.<br /><br />When you use GPS collars to track wildlife one of the most important decisions is to decide how long you want to collect data for. There are two main options – a long collar life with less GPS fixes taken daily or a short collar life with a high-intensity of GPS fixes taken daily. Both options have their merits depending on the data that you are looking to collect. I chose the latter knowing that I would have to remove the collars before the end of 2009 to refurbish them with new batteries. Therefore, at the beginning of December, with the assistance of a qualified veterinarian, I set about trying to remove the GPS collars.<br /> <br />Usually when you are darting wild animals, particularly to remove or replace collars, the hardest part is finding your target animal. However, in this instance, finding the collared zebra was the easy part, the hard part was getting close enough so that we could dart them. After a couple of frustrating days when we were unable to get close to any of the collared zebra we realised that our best chance would be in the hours immediately after sunrise when the temperatures were still bearable and the zebra were more relaxed. This meant we needed to be up by 4am so that we could be with a collared zebra before sunrise. Our new strategy paid off immediately as on the third morning we were able to remove the collars of 2 zebra before 8am. <br /><br />Over a period of 8 days we were able to successfully remove the 7 working GPS collars. I removed 1 of the faulty collars in July and this means that the one collar which remains is one which failed in September. I will try again to remove this collar in March 2010. During the darting we were also able to collect some important information on the weights and physical condition of the collared zebra that were all heavily pregnant and due to give birth imminently. <br /><br />The data provided by the GPS collars is vital in helping me to understand how zebra are able to survive and thrive in the challenging Makgadikgadi environment. Not only do the collars provide detailed movement data, they also allow me to track the zebra so that I can study behaviour as well as identify and sample the grazing and water resources which they are utilising. It is for this reason that in March 2010, once my collars have been refurbished, I will collar a further 10 zebra mares so that I can follow their movements within the Makgadikgadi throughout 2010.<br /><br />During the darting period, whilst tracking a collared zebra, we were lucky enough to come across a mare just about to give birth so we stopped to observe this special event. Within 15 minutes the foal was up on its feet before its mother, looking a little wobbly at first but soon gaining confidence in how to use all 4 limbs in unison. The rest of the harem were not far away and soon came to greet the new arrival, a yearling was particularly interested, before they all moved off to rejoin the safety of the herd. The first few days of this foal’s life will be the toughest but if it can stay close to its mother then it will have a great chance of reaching adulthood due to the abundance of water and grass available this year.<br /><br />If you have any questions or comments then please feel free to email me, zebra@zebramigration.org or visit the project website www.zebramigration.org where there will be additional photos and blogs added shortly. <br /><br />Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2010.James Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-135838734601363892009-10-03T01:42:00.000-07:002009-10-03T01:43:30.168-07:00Books for schoolsAs an extension of the research that I am conducting here in the Makgadikgadi I am working with a couple of schools from two of the villages surrounding the Makgadikgadi National Park, in particular Khumaga Primary School. I have visited Khumaga School on a number of occasions and I have spoken with pupils about the wildlife within the National Park, and in particular about the zebras. Nine of the pupils have also helped me to name the zebra which I collared earlier this year and these names are in an earlier blog post. <br /><br />There has now been a link established between Khumaga primary school here in Botswana and Lanercost and Hayton primary schools in the UK. This link allows children from each of the schools to write letters and learn more about each others country, schooling and culture. This link continues to grow and I have recently delivered the second round of letters from children at Lanercost and Hayton to their pen-friends in Khumaga. These letters have only been recently delivered as the school has recently had their winter holiday for 5 weeks.<br /><br />When I first visited Khumaga School in November last year and spoke to Mma Tshube, the deputy head, I asked her what she thought the school was short of; her reply was reading books for the school children. Earlier this year on March 5th, world book day, as well as dressing up as their favourite fictional character, the children of Lanercost and Hayton primary schools took some of their reading books into school with them. These books were being collected so that they could be sent to their new pen friends in Khumaga Primary School in Botswana and the response from all of the children and their parents was staggering.<br /><br />On the 18th of September I took 6 large boxes of books of all shapes and sizes into Khumaga School. These books, along with 1 football and 1 volleyball (In a recent volleyball tournament Khumaga finished 3rd in their age group for the whole of Botswana) which had been bought with a donation from the Lanercost PTA, were delivered to Mma Tshube who was lost for words.<br /><br />Mma Tshube and another teacher Mr Olephile then proceeded to look through the boxes of books before calling on some of the children to come and have a look. Mma Tshube found a book of bedtime stories and said that she was going to read them to her children, who are pupils at Khumaga, that night. Mr Olephile, the volleyball coach, didn’t really know where to start as there were so many books to look at. While some of the children were initially more attracted to the football and volleyball, the remainder began to look through the books with some enthusiasm before they hdd to go back to their lessons.<br /><br />The books have now been safely placed into the small school library and are there for the children and teachers to use. I know that they are already proving to be a great resource for them all.<br /><br />Before I left the UK for Botswana in mid-March I was amazed at the volume of books that had been collected while also wondering how we were going to be able to get all of the books to Botswana. This problem was solved for us by Mr Solomon Seeco of the Botswana High Commission in London. Mr Seeco generously offered his assistance, and the use of a container, in order to ship the books from the UK to Botswana. It would have taken much longer to get the books to Botswana without Mr Seeco’s help.<br /><br />Once the books reached Botswana I then needed to get them from Gaborone, in the south-east, to Maun, in the north-west, where I am based and near to Khumaga. This problem was resolved for me by Desert and Delta Safaris, and in particular Adrienne Esterhuyse, who organised for the books to be transported to Maun for which I am very grateful.<br /><br />Due to the sheer volume of books which were donated I decided that it would be good to pass on a few of the books to other places. Accordingly I took one box of books to Moreomaoto primary school. Moreomaoto is another local village to the Makgadikgadi and at around 100 pupils is less than half the size of Khumaga primary school. The books were gratefully received by the deputy head and some of the other teachers. We left all of the teachers busily looking through the books – I think the children will have spent the rest of the day reading books picked out for them by their teachers!! One additional box of books was returned to Desert and Delta Safaris to pass on to Love Botswana, an outreach program for local children in Maun.<br /><br />If you would like to see some pictures of the books being delivered to the schools then please visit my website gallery at: <a href="http://www.zebramigration.org/gallery/">http://www.zebramigration.org/gallery/</a><br /><br />Mma Tshube has asked me to thank everyone who donated any books and to those people who have made the delivery of the books logistically possible. On behalf of all of the children at Khumaga and Moreomaoto primary schools and Love Botswana in Maun I would like to say thank you to all the children (and parents) who generously contributed their books. Thank you also to Alison and Sue, the headteachers of Lanercost and Hayton respectively, as well as all of the other teachers who have taken such an interest, and encouraged the interest of their pupils, in both the letter writing exchange and the collection of books. I would also like to thank my parents who have been so helpful in co-ordinating things in the UK as well as Solomon Seeco and Adrienne Esterhuyse.<br /><br />As for the main reason why I am here in Botswana, things are still going very well with the project. I will write another blog soon to update you all in more detail. Most collared zebra’s had recently migrated west as the surface waterholes to the east of the Makgadikgadi began to dry up. However, it has just been raining again and any zebra which had migrated west has now gone east again. This is a very strange year in Botswana but the zebra should benefit by having access to the grazing areas in the east of the park for much longer than normal. I will write a more detailed update on the zebra’s and fieldwork shortly.<br /><br />As ever, if you have any questions or comments then please feel free to contact me via the blog or via email on <a href="mailto:zebra@zebramigration.org">zebra@zebramigration.org</a>.<br /><br />Till next time,<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-25933427035560599952009-08-03T11:54:00.000-07:002009-08-03T11:58:21.677-07:00The Boteti River!The Boteti river last flowed properly in 1989 (although some people even say as far back as 1985). Since this time there have only been a number of small natural water seepages within the riverbed as well as a number of well points controlled by local cattle farmers. These water points were the only source of water within the Makgadikgadi during the dry season and were relied upon by wildlife and livestock.<br /><br />The two safari camps along the river, Meno A Kwena and Leroo La Tau started to pump water for the wildlife and then 14 further artificial waterholes were established during 2007. All of these waterholes were vital for the survival of the wildlife, not least the zebra population, as they were not able to access much of the riverbed after the fence was completed in 2004.<br /><br />During November 2008 the Boteti river flowed into the National park once more as it passed through the fence just above Meno A Kwena. This was the final push of the flood water that had originated as rain in the highlands of Angola and it didn’t flow much further.<br /><br />Now, in July and August of 2009, we can say that the Boteti is a river once more. Since the flood water from Angola reached the pan handle of the Okavango Delta in early 2009 we have been eagerly waiting to see how far it would reach this year. This flood water was topped up by a significant quantity of rainwater within Botswana from a good wet season here. This was further augmented by the heavy unseasonal rainfall which fell in early June. The water level in Maun is still slowly rising to heights not seen in more than 20 years and this water then pushes on to flow down the Boteti river.<br /><br />The river flowed into the park once again around the 20th of July and has since been progressing along the dry riverbed at between 1.5km and 4km a day and is now less than 2km from the fence which crosses the riverbed North of Khumaga.<br /><br />Within the next few days the river will reach the hippo pools and the resident hippo population will have fresh river water for the first time in 20 years. No longer will they have to rely on the stagnant pools which have been their home.<br /><br />The zebras will have access to a large body fresh water, their historical reason for migrating west, without the need to congregate around 3 or 4 of the artificial waterholes when the water dries up in the eastern Makgadikgadi. It’s a shame that there are not 5000 or more zebra here in the riverbed to meet the river as it flows once more.<br /><br />The crocodiles which live in caves near to the artificial waterholes will have a fresh watercourse to patrol which will help them to hunt. Do they even remember what fish tastes like?<br /><br />Outside of the fence the cattle farmers will no longer have to pump water everyday to meet the needs of their livestock. The residents of Khumaga village will be able to fish once more. Khumaga was originally established as a fishing village long before the river dried.<br /><br />The river does cause a few logistical problems though. As I’m sure you’re all aware, electricity and water don’t go well together and so there will be problems maintaining the effectiveness of the fence.<br /><br />Also it is going to make driving into the National park a challenge. It may be possible to find shallow crossing points but until the river has passed through it is impossible to know how deep the water will be. I may have to look for another site to camp on the national park side of the river.<br /><br />This is a very exciting time though and it is amazing to watch the river returning as it flows over areas not covered with water for so long. There are shoals of small fish at the head of the water and there are bubbles everywhere as air pockets in the sand get filled by the incoming water. I am expecting the river to flow in front of Leroo la Tau later this week and I will post some pictures to the website gallery when I am next in Maun.<br /><br />Its back to work for me as I rush to complete some fieldwork before the river cuts me off from the park.<br /><br />Till next time.<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-76384161304800963382009-07-03T07:25:00.000-07:002009-07-03T07:26:39.325-07:00Unseasonal weatherHi,<br /><br />In my last blog entry I mentioned how the dry season had finally begun with all of the zebra migrating west, back to the Boteti region. I spoke to soon. There has been the most rain in June for 100 years which has understandably changed things once again.<br /><br />June started well as the final GPS collar was deployed onto a zebra within 500 metres of Leroo La Tau. Everything went smoothly and the zebra was back with her harem within 20 minutes of the initial darting. We then began fieldwork in earnest by tracking collared zebra and locating preferred grazing patches to sample. We were able to conduct a number of these sampling sites prior to the rain arriving. We also tried to conduct a 12-hour focal observation on one collared zebra who decided to return to the Boteti waterholes for a drink. In doing so she had to walk through areas of dense acacia which we weren’t able to follow her through and so we had to stop the observation.<br /><br />Then on June 8th the clouds started to build and I expected rain. However, I expected the usual 2-3mm which usually arrives in early June. Instead we got non-stop rain for 48 hours which prompted the government to issue flood warnings for most of the country. When the rain decided to stop there had been over 100mm in the western Makgadikgadi and over 180mm at Jack’s camp on the east of the Makgadikgadi! One of the most significant effects of this un-seasonal rainfall has been on the local farmers who had successfully harvested their crops but which then got severely damaged in the rain.<br /><br />The zebra’s, however, decided that the rain was a good thing which they were going to take full advantage of. Within hours of the rain beginning all 10 collared zebra were on the move and migrating east back towards the open grasslands. In the grasslands they are able to graze in areas of plentiful high-quality grass near to pans which are full of water. This can only be a good thing for the Makgadikgadi zebra population but wasn’t really in the script of what should be happening during the dry season here in the Makgadikgadi.<br /><br />I have adapted my field schedule to accommodate the zebra’s grazing in the east and this means that I am now spending 3 days at a time out in the centre of the national park away from my camp. During these 3 days I am able to collect a significant amount of data on the grazing preferences of zebra as well as conduct behavioural observations and counts.<br /><br />A typical routine during a 3 day sampling trip is as follows:<br /><br />Day one:<br /><br />Rise at around 5:30am and download up-to-date GPS data from the collars so that we know where all of the collared zebra are. We then finish packing the car with the bed rolls, tent, tracking aerials, the fridge and food and anything else that we might need. Make a cup of coffee to drink from a thermal mug on the journey and leave camp before sunrise.<br /><br />I choose which collared zebra’s I would like to collect samples from prior to leaving and so we head for the last downloaded GPS point for one collared zebra. When we near this point we begin to track the collar using a VHF receiver as the zebra will have moved, but hopefully not too far. Sometimes the zebra may be in a herd of a thousand or more zebra and so identifying the collared zebra can take sometime. After locating the zebra, we identify the area where it is grazing and then sample this area, identifying the grass species present as well as measuring the quantity of available forage. For the rest of the day we repeat this process for 2 or 3 more collared zebra before locating a campsite at sunset.<br /><br />Day two:<br /><br />Rise around 5:30am to track and locate a collared zebra before sunrise at 7am in order that we can spend the whole day observing one zebra. It’s currently the middle of winter here in Botswana and so it’s incredibly cold at this time in the morning and the aluminium aerials make you feel even colder.<br /><br />Once a zebra has been located we then follow this zebra until 6pm, conducting a 5 minute behavioural observation every 20 minutes. During this 5 minute observation period I record the activity that the zebra is exhibiting such as grazing, vigilant, resting, walking, grooming or interacting with other zebra or other animals. If the zebra decides it wants to go somewhere then we need to follow but at a distance where we do not interfere with normal behaviour but where we can still see the zebra. If at anytime we lose the zebra and can not see her for two consecutive 5 minute observation periods then the whole days data collection has to be scrapped.<br /><br />After conducting the final 5 minute observation at 6pm we head back to where we camped the previous night for a warm meal.<br /><br />Day three:<br /><br />Rise around 6am to break camp and locate a collared zebra. Before 9 am it is not possible to conduct grass sampling as there is too much dew on the grass and so we conduct observations on the foraging behaviour of the zebra. We then spend the remainder of the day identifying and sampling the preferred grazing sites of collared zebra as on day one.<br /><br />Interspersed with the grass sampling we conduct counts of random herds of zebra to record how many adult males, adult females, yearlings and juveniles there are. This allows you to get a good picture of how ‘healthy’ the overall population is. Put simply - if there are lots of yearlings in the population then the number of young zebra surviving to become adult zebra is good and the population is in good health and may be growing.<br /><br />Around an hour before sunset we set off on the two hour drive back to our main camp here at Leroo La Tau ready for a warm shower.<br /><br />We then spend two days in camp sorting and entering the data that we have collected before heading back into the park again for another 3 days.<br /><br />I hope this helps you to understand what we get up to on a daily basis. If you have any questions or comments then feel free to get in touch either via the blog or by email.<br /><br />Till next time.<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-54848578216869161022009-06-02T11:58:00.000-07:002009-06-02T12:32:57.191-07:00The Zebra's returnHi,<br /><br />Over here in Botswana the dry season has officially begun because zebra are now resident in their dry season range! This means that my fieldwork can start in earnest and we can start to see how things have been affected by the fence. 6 of the 9 collared zebra have now returned to the Boteti region with the remaining 3 still grazing in the east. However, there can't be that much water left out there and I expect these 3 to migrate shortly.<br /><br />Since I last posted a message to this blog we have spent the majority of our time in camp conducting fieldwork. We successfully conducted the water sampling of all 17 artificial waterholes and all water samples have been delivered to the HOORC in Maun for detailed chemical analysis. We managed to visit all of the waterholes within 2 days, in the process driving the length of the western fence line. Unfortunately 4 waterholes were not pumping at the time of sampling but hopefully these will be fixed shortly. As would be expected, the waterholes in the riverbed provide nicer water than the boreholes located away from the riverbed. However, the variation in water quality between the waterholes did surprise me slightly and it will be interesting to see how the more detailed tests of each water sample vary.<br /><br />Some of these waterholes are used mainly by the bull elephants which reside in the Makgadikgadi. This means that when you go to sample these waterholes you are likely to come across elephants at some of them. At the first waterhole we had to approach slowly in order to persuade the 4 elephants that were there to move away far enough for us to collect our samples. When we arrived at a later waterhole in the riverbed there were no animals there and so we collected the water and began to conduct the in-situ tests which were required. While waiting for the results of these tests, three elephants suddenly appeared on the ridge above the waterhole ready to come down to drink. However, I think they were so surprised to see a car relatively close to the waterhole that they stopped suddenly, considered their options, made a lot of noise, turned around and ran off in the opposite direction. We were glad that the elephants decided it was them that should move along and not us. Shortly afterwards we found them drinking at the next waterhole a little further along the riverbed where we waited until they had finished drinking before sampling.<br /><br />Since the return of the zebra migration in mid May we have spent the time tracking collared zebra, conducting some initial behavioural observations and recording the body condition of adult zebra. From 1st June we will begin the first full month of dry season fieldwork by locating and sampling the preferred grazing resources of collared zebra. We will also continue with the observations and will also conduct the first 12 hour, sunrise to sunset, focal observations on different collared zebra.<br /><br />I also mentioned in my last blog post that I was hoping to have the names for the remaining collared zebra from school children at Khumaga. When I collected the latest letters written by children at Khumaga to their pen friends at Lanercost and Hayton schools, I also collected a selection of names for zebra as chosen bu the standard 7 children. I have now been through this selection, along with the staff at Leroo La Tau who explained the meaning of each name, and have chosen names for each of the collared zebra. These names are: Mmamotse, Boseja,Bojang, Banyana, Kgarebe e ntle, Dintlenyane, Bontle and Amantle. Unfortunately the names Shirley and Beauty didn't quite make the cut!<br /><br />If you have any questions or comments you would like to make on anything to do with the project then please feel free to get in touch either via the blog or email.<br /><br />Till next time.<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-33377253882361720462009-05-11T07:59:00.000-07:002009-05-11T08:00:03.643-07:00Rain in May!Hello to you all from Botswana,<br /><br />In the UK the weather has a nasty habit of being entirely unpredictable with the sun shining one moment and raining the next. I thought that wouldn’t be the case here in Botswana but I was apparently very wrong. In the last week the weather can’t seem to make its mind up what it wants to do and this has provided some unseasonal rain storms. These rain storms have meant that zebra’s in the Makgadikgadi are able to stay in the open grasslands of the eastern Makgadikgadi for longer than usual. This doesn’t really help my research but it is great news for the wildlife out here.<br /><br />I should first update you all with the progress of the project and the work that I have been doing in the last few weeks since 9 zebra were collared. I am now back in my camp at Leroo La Tau meaning that I can escape the chaos of Maun and I am able to spend time in the field when necessary. I would like to thank everyone at Leroo La Tau and Desert and Delta Safari’s for their support and generosity in allowing me to be based here. I have been back in camp since the middle of April and I will be spending the majority of my time until the end of November here.<br /><br />During April I was able to conduct the 10 vegetation transects that need to be done during every three month season with the help of Tania for a few days and then Steven who will be assisting me for the next few months. These vegetation transects are 15km long, situated along the length of the Boteti riverbed and are perpendicular to the Boteti riverbed. By conducting these transects it is possible to assess the abundance of different grass species in different habitats across the whole of the zebra’s dry season home range. This means that it is necessary to drive through some of the worst vegetation that the Boteti has to offer in order to complete the transects which inevitably leads to the odd puncture and the reshaping of the Landrover’s bodywork. I’m just glad I only need to do them once a season!<br /><br />From the beginning of April zebra’s started to be seen along the Boteti for the first time in 2009. Throughout April the zebra numbers gradually began to build which enabled the first behavioural and observation data to be collected on zebra’s within the riverbed. However the 9 zebra which I had collared remained grazing in the east for the whole of April but I was beginning to anticipate their return to the Boteti. Indeed on April 30th one of the collared zebra began to migrate west and made it to the Boteti river 36 hours later having walked nearly 50km. She stayed in and around the riverbed for the next 24 hours, and then it rained. With this unusual rain storm arriving she decided that instead of remaining in the Boteti she would return to the open grasslands in the east where there is better grazing available and where she still remains. <br /><br />A second collared zebra had also made the decision that the quality and quantity of water available in the east had decreased sufficiently in order to trigger the migration. However she didn’t quite make it to the Boteti before it rained. Having travelled about two-thirds of the distance she decided to turn around 180 degrees and head east towards where the rains had fallen. There are currently very few zebra here in Boteti as there continues to be intermittent showers which are often very localised.<br /><br />For the next few days we are going to focus on the collection of water samples from the 17 artificial waterholes that are located along the length of the Boteti riverbed that is within the fence. We will take some measurements in-situ while also collecting samples for more detailed analysis at the HOORC in Maun. These water samples will be collected every three months for the next year which will create a detailed picture of water quality and availability for wildlife within the western Makgadikgadi.<br /><br />The next time I complete this Blog I hope to be able to tell you the names that have been chosen by children from Khumaga school for the collared zebra. This will mean that it is not just Mosetsana (Mo-seet-sana) that has a name as well as a number. I am also hoping to collect the correspondence letters from the children in Khumaga to children at Lanercost and Hayton Primary Schools.<br /><br />That is all for now but I will try to keep you updated a little more regularly now that I am settled here in my camp. I will also try to get some more photos uploaded to the gallery shortly.<br /><br />Till next time, <br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-80270234385562830662009-04-12T06:42:00.000-07:002009-04-12T06:44:18.232-07:00Collaring Zebra in the MakgadikgadiHello everyone,<br /><br />On April 1st I finally became a fully paid up zebra researcher as I deployed my first collars onto zebra mares within the Makgadikgadi. Darting Zebra from the ground in the Makgadikgadi had never been done before as historically the zebras were too skittish around vehicles as they used to get shot by poachers and farmers, or chased away from waterholes so that cattle could drink instead. We thought that we would give it a go though as the cost of hiring a helicopter for the exercise was extremely prohibitive. <br /><br />When we found the zebra herds the wind was blowing and we weren’t sure how close we would be able to get to them. To dart accurately you need to be around 40 metres from your target animal. 40 metres is a lot closer than you realise when you don’t have a range finder with you and to get this distance from a wild animal with strong herd behaviour is difficult.<br /><br />The first shot we had missed due to the effect of the wind. The second shot somehow made it and at 47 metres was a great shot as darts aren’t really supposed to go over 40 metres. Everything went smoothly with the collar fitting and the zebra was up and back with her harem less than 40 minutes from the dart hitting.<br /><br />The next zebra that we darted was the matriarch of her harem and so she fought against the effects of the tranquilizer. The matriarchs do this because when they start to show a weakness, lower ranked females in the harem will try to use the opportunity to increase their rank. The problem is that it is almost impossible to tell who the matriarchs are when you are approaching a herd of zebra, any female could be a matriarch. The tranquilizers used had the desired effect and it was possible to fit the collar and take all of the necessary measurements and samples.<br /><br />I had chosen, as other researchers have, to dart only adult zebra mares. This is because the stallions will often fight with each other and during these fights they bite and hold the neck of their opponent. If we fitted a collar to a stallion there is a risk that the collar would be damaged during fighting, and, perhaps more importantly, it may provide an advantage for an opponent as they have something else to grab hold of when they bite. <br /><br />When a zebra mare is darted and goes down the remainder of her harem will remain close by as they are a very close unit. They will retreat to the safety of the herd and watch from a safe distance, around 200 metres, but they are always alert and waiting for the mare to return to them. As soon as she is back on her feet and heading towards the herd, the harem will come out to greet her to make sure that all is ok before they all return to grazing.<br /><br />During the following three days we were able to dart a further 7 zebra by using a great deal of patience combined with the experience gained during each previous darting. One of the hardest things is to be patient when you can see 2000 zebra but you can’t get close enough to dart. You need to have a great deal of patience to keep looking for an opportunity to get close to the herd. <br /><br />On the third morning we needed to be patient once we had found a number of big zebra herds. Unfortunately all of these zebra were heading into drink at a nearby waterhole and so were already on edge. This is because predators often reside near to waterholes as they know that their prey will need to come and drink. We tried to target herds which had already drunk from the waterhole and so were walking back out to graze. It was still proving difficult as the herds were still on edge until they got far enough away from the waterhole. <br /><br />We ultimately managed to get close enough to a herd to identify a zebra mare to be darted. Everything then went smoothly as the zebra went down nicely and allowed us to fit the collar and take measurements. This zebra is the only zebra which has so far been named as I am going to let the children of Khumaga Primary School name the remainder. I named her Mosetsana (pronounced: mo-seet-sana) which means ‘Little Girl’ in Setswana. This is because she was young, around 4 years old but with a 6 month old foal, and was the smallest zebra which we darted.<br /><br />The collars which we are using are Satellite GPS collars which send me emails with the GPS locations of each collared zebra at specified times. These collars are all working well and are already sending me data which shows their movement patterns. I will hopefully have a link on the www.zebramigration.org website set up very shortly which will allow you all to see the movement patterns of three collared zebra. When this is done I will let you know and explain what it all means.<br /><br />I will also place some pictures of the darting process onto the website gallery. You will see that we blindfold the zebra when we have darted them. This prevents the zebra being overly stimulated by light and movement while it is tranquilized. At all times we make every effort to have the zebra back with their harem as quickly as possible.<br /><br />I hope that this gives you an insight into the collaring process and the challenges that are faced. Over the next 7 months or so I will be receiving regular updates and collecting detailed movement data for the collared zebra which will help us to understand how the fence has affected their movement patterns and resource use. If you have any questions about the collaring process or how the collars work and the information that they provide then please feel free to contact me and ask me anything.<br /><br />Till next time,<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-57966825802919053682009-03-25T04:17:00.000-07:002009-03-25T04:19:08.992-07:00Primary schools link upHi,<br /><br />As an additional component to the main focus of my research I have organised a link between my old primary school and another local school in the UK, Lanercost and Hayton, and Khumaga primary school here in Botswana. I have spoken to children at all three schools about my research and about life in the UK and Botswana and how it is both similar and different.<br /><br />When I returned to the UK in early December 2008 I brought with me around 60 letters from children at Khumaga primary school to children at Lanercost and Hayton. After my visits to Lanercost and Hayton the children were presented with these letters and asked if they would like to reply, the overwhelming response was that they would. <br /><br />On Friday the 20th I took the letters from children at Lanercost and Hayton into Khumaga primary school. After handing them over to Mma Tshube and the Headmaster, Mr P, they were then given out to all of the children who had written letters previously. The children were thrilled to see that the letters they wrote in November had received a reply. They received the letters and spent the next few hours reading the letters and carrying them around and trading stories from new pen friends. When I went back to the school to take a few pictures many of the children were carrying their letters around with them, not wanting to leave them anywhere! These photos are now in the gallery of www.zebramigration.org and show children between the ages of 7 and 13 with their letters.<br /><br />The teachers at Khumaga are happy because it encourages the children to write letters while improving their English and learning about another area of the world. The children are happy because they now have new friends who they can write to while trading stories with the other children from Khumaga. <br /><br />Children from Lanercost and Hayton have also taken the time to collect books for the children in Khumaga. Due to the generosity of these children and their parents there are now lots of books which will shortly be sent out to Botswana. I will keep you updated and will let you know when the books arrive. <br /><br />If you have any comments or questions about anything included on the website or in this blog then please feel free to leave a comment on the blog or email me at zebra@zebramigration.org <br /><br />Till next time.<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-80499072939899350482009-03-23T01:15:00.000-07:002009-03-23T01:17:14.400-07:00Back in BotswanaDear all,<br /><br />I am now back in Botswana and enjoying the sunshine (and the odd heavy rain shower). It has been fairly hectic since I got back as I try to organise everything that I need to do over the next 6 weeks. It is going to be a busy period but hopefully a very productive one as I attempt to collar 10 zebra and conduct an aerial survey on the Makgadikgadi Zebra Population.<br /><br />I did get a little distracted from the task in hand by a phone call on friday from Glyn, a friend and fellow researcher, asking if I was keen to go on a trip to the CKGR to try and find the wild dog that he had recently collared with a GPS collar. This was too tempting to turn down and so we quickly organised ourselves and left town. The reason that we left in such a hurry was that someone had flown over the CKGR on friday morning and had got a good positional fix on the collared dog using VHF tracking. Glyn then wanted to find the dog on the ground and get a visual to check that all was ok and also download the GPS data stored on the collar.<br /><br />At 6 am on Saturday morning we woke, tracked for the dogs and were fortunate to receive a signal for them from less than 2km away. We followed the signal and soon found the dogs walking up Deception Valley, one of the best spots for wildlife in CKGR and a uniquely stunning area. While following the dogs we saw them interacting with Gemsbok which are too big for them to hunt in daylight. There were 9 dogs in total and they suddenly started to run up the valley and we struggled to keep up. We could only see 6 dogs as the other 3 charged ahead and by the time we caught up, all of the dogs were feeding on a springbok which had obviously been brought down by the lead 3 dogs. <br /><br />For the remainder of the day we tried to stay near to the dogs as we had asked a vet to come down to help us try to place a VHF collar onto another one of the dogs. The vet arrived and we were able to successfully collar a female dog which will make it possible to track the pack of dogs at all times. When we then found the pack the following morning and confirmed that all of the dogs were well and heading off hunting then it was the culmination of a successful trip.<br /><br />Once back in Maun I returned to concentrating on my research and started to plan a short trip to the Makgadikgadi and back to my camp at Leroo La Tau. I went down on the 17th and arrived in an area that I barely recognised. There is so much grass around that the riverbed in front of Leroo is unrecognisable from the end of last year when all of the grass had been trampled by the Zebra herds and all that was visible was sand! A remarkable transformation which shows the power of the rain here in the Kalahari. There is also news that the rivers in Angola and Namibia which feed into the Okavango Delta are reaching record levels. This news increases the confidence that the Boteti River will flow past Leroo La Tau later this year which will cause another remarkable transformation to the area.<br /><br />Till next time.<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5565352974601747056.post-49445192525725632942009-02-25T09:59:00.000-08:002009-02-25T10:01:07.606-08:00WelcomeHello and welcome to the Makgadikgadi Zebra Migration Research project blog. I will be posting regular blogs here about the research that we are conducting and our daily lives in the Makgadikgadi. I will post updates as regularly as I can, depending on where we are working and what we are doing.<br /><br />I am currently in the UK fundraising and planning the fieldwork for the upcoming year before returning to Botswana in early March. I have been back since the beginning of December but the time has just flown by and I wish there were more hours in the day.<br /><br />Fundraising is quite difficult at the moment with the current global economic situation but we have been able to secure some funding while submitting applications for grants. I would like to thank everyone who has supported to project in any way. <br /><br />The website is nearly ready to go live and this will hopefully tell you a lot more about the project and the work that we are trying to do. If you would like to know more or you are able to support the project then please leave a message on this blog or go to the contacts page to find out how you can get in touch. I would like to thank Laura Montgomery from KCS Computer Solutions for her work in designing and building this website. I am very happy with the outcome and I hope you are too.<br /><br />It is going to be a busy time when I get back to Botswana as there is a lot to do to prepare for the upcoming year. Hopefully Glyn will not have taken the research vehicle to the CKGR as threatened and it will have been serviced by Crispen and be ready to go. I am also hoping that the GPS collars will have arrived and will be awaiting collection from the DHL office in Maun. We are going to collar 10 zebra within the Makgadikgadi towards the end of March and these zebra will act as the primary study subjects for the next 18 months.<br /><br />The next update to this blog will be posted upon my return to Botswana. If you have any comments to make then please leave them here and I will look forward to reading them.<br /><br />All the best.<br /><br />JamesJames Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11037134628886355397noreply@blogger.com1