Radio telemetry as a tool used for wildlife research has proven to be very effective in understanding the secretive lives of the animals being studied. The first ever radio telemetry study on snakes in India was initiated in 2008 at the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station, Agumbe, Karnataka. King Cobras (Ophiophagus hannah) were surgically implanted with radio transmitters and released back into wild. A team of research associates, volunteers along with field trackers followed the snake every day and recorded data.
Training and working under the guidance of Rom and Matt was a great learning experience for me. Every stage of the project brought with it its own set of challenges and rewards. From working with the forest department for permits, assessing rescued king cobras fit for this study, assisting the team with the surgery, organizing field trackers, identifying and training volunteers, managing local support and press, supervising and assisting the team on field to ensure each day goes smooth was quite a handful; But listening to the day’s findings every evening was worth it!
This work was recently published by the Environmental Information System Centre in their ENVIS BULLETIN Wildlife and Protected Areas as part of their issue focusing on ‘TELEMETRY IN WILDLIFE SCIENCE’. The complete issue can be accessed at: http://www2.wii.gov.in/envis/telemetry/index.html.
Below is the abstract from our paper.
ABSTRACT
Over the past five decades, radiotelemetry has become an increasingly important tool in wildlife field research, providing researchers with the ability to follow individual animals as they live out their often secretive lives. Radiotelemetry studies of snakes have enabled researchers to determine an impressive array of important ecological parameters, including home range characteristics, the fate of translocated animals, location of den sites, and documentation of behaviours in the field that would otherwise be extremely difficult to observe. Here, we present data from the first-ever field study of King Cobras (Ophiophagus hannah, Cantor, 1836) in their natural habitat in the rainforests of Agumbe in Karnataka, South India. Although we have obtained critical data on King Cobra spatial ecology that will ultimately lead to recommendations on how to better conserve these charismatic serpents, of equal or greater interest is documentation of a wealth of King Cobra behaviours that have never been observed in the wild. We discuss radiotelemetry and summarize yet-to-be published results of this pioneering study of the world’s largest venomous snake. We also discuss our efforts to use our data to develop educational programs aimed at local communities, and our ultimate goal of establishing the first-ever sanctuary with a snake as the flagship species.
The complete paper is downloadable and may be used for non-commercial purposes with due acknowledgement.
DOWNLOAD: Application of Radiotelemetry Techniques in Snake Research: King Cobra .
Authors: Sharmila & Gowri Shankar
really proud of your efforts brother
Hey Gowri, this is absolutley awesome, thanks for sharing this. Hoping all great with you guys.
this is wonderful pics