2.1 SURVEY LAYOUT
2.1.1 Office work
Arial
photos:
Arial photos for Rum area were bought from the Royal Geographic Center
and inspected for sites of good vegetation cover (scale 1:30,000).
Sites identified were marked on the map to be visited and verified
later.
Maps:
Four maps from the Army Map Service, Corps of Engineering, Washington,
D.C. (1959) were bought from Royal Geographic Center and used for the survey
(sheets 3049 II, 3149 III, 3048 I, and 3148 IV).
They show UTM and Palestine Grid coordinates along with geographical
information (scale 1:50,000).
Design:
The reserve was divided into 4 areas according to the main wadis of the
reserve (Map 5, Appendix 1). The
forth sector south of the reserve was added to the original reserve boundaries
to study the potential importance of this area.
Data sheets for all survey activities were created on MSWorks.
An example of each one is shown in Appendix 7.
2.2 METHODS USED
Six different field techniques were used during the present survey to
verify the presence or absence of target carnivore species in the study area.
The methods used were the same as those used in earlier surveys by the
RSCN (Chilcott et al. 1995; Evans et al. 1996) with modifications to some of
them. A night vision scope was
used for the first time to test the effectiveness of the traps used by the
RSCN.
Method 1: Trapping
Sweeping
Sweeping
entailed driving around the entire sector, checking the vegetation communities
marked earlier on the map from the aerial photos, searching for new ones, and
noting any defining characteristics of the area such as a Bedouin tent or a
popular tourist site.
All coordinates and notes were logged in a data sheet (adapted from
Magellan GPS Manual 1994, see Appendix 4) to be used later.
During this period, footprints, signs, and scats were opportunistically
noticed to help in later choosing sites for trapping, or spoor and spotlight
transects.
If a Bedouin tent was noticed, coordinates were
taken for a later interview visit. Appendix
5 lists all the waypoints taken, and Map
6, Appendix 1 shows the Bedouin tents
found during the survey.
Trapping
sites
Map 7, Appendix 1 shows the locations of the
trapping sites. Between four to
eight traps were placed at a site, depending on how large of an area it was.
We tried to choose closed or narrow wadi systems rather than open
terrain. However, some trap sets
were placed in open areas to check for activity of carnivores there.
The trappability of both kinds of terrain is compared in the results. After choosing suitable locations for the traps, they were
spaced about 100 meters apart to cover the entire length of the wadi.
Some traps were placed up in cliffs to get an idea of the mountain
dwellers like the V. cana. However,
V. cana was trapped in wadis as well as in cliffs.
Sites for individual traps were chosen taking into consideration that
they should be covered by vegetation or rocks to give the animals protection
from sun or rain until the traps could be checked.
Traps
Three types of wire messing traps were used for this survey, one small
and two medium-sized. These traps
target small and medium-sized carnivores like foxes and cats.
In addition to this, two larger traps were placed that could catch
large carnivores like hyenas or wolves. The
trigger system was rigged with a rope that the animal trips as it enters the
trap. The basic design of these
traps is outlined in Appendix 6.
As a start number, 15 traps were used, and the number raised to
26 towards the end of the survey. Caution
labels were added to all traps to help prevent sabotage or theft after one of
the traps was stolen during the beginning of the survey.
Informing nearby Bedouins of the presence of the traps in the area was
also helpful.
Twine ropes were originally used in the traps
for the triggering system. The
twine ropes were replaced by nylon ropes after the former proved to be
ineffective under rainy conditions. The
water caused the twine ropes to shrink and the doors to close.
In foggy areas or where dew is expected, we recommend using nylon
ropes. A disadvantage of nylon
rope is that it is difficult for a tangled animal to bite through and may
cause the animal injuries. However,
none of the trapped animals from this survey suffered any injuries from the
ropes. The nylon rope was also
more slippery, increasing the sensitivity and the chance of triggering the
trap by things like vegetation blowing in the wind or grazing animals. This problem was minimal though.
Number
of ropes used
A night vision scope was used to observe the
way by which trapped animals trigger the closing system of the traps.
One of the small-sized traps was baited with tuna and set in the
researcher house backyard. It was
noticed that one triangle rope was not effective to trigger the closing system
of the trap. A domestic cat
managed to bend its body over the base rope of the triangle, eat all the bait,
and get out of the trap without triggering the system.
The observation was done in total darkness so to not disturb the
natural behavior of the animal. A second triangle was added to the trap, closer to the
opening than the first, with the base rope of the triangle higher than the
first rope’s base. The trap was
rebaited with tuna and set again. This
time the second extra triangle managed to tangle the cat’s forearms while it
was trying to pull itself out of the first triangle.
About half the traps used were set with the two-triangle system and the
other half with one triangle to try to compare between the two systems.
When bait was eaten within a trap that only had one rope, a second was
added to try to capture this animal.
Prebaiting
After placing the traps, prebaiting was done for at least one
day. The door to the trap was
tied open, and one can of sardines was used with most of the food being placed
behind the ropes that trigger the trap. If
no activity was noticed in the area of the trap, a second day of prebaiting
was done. Activity was defined as
tracks at or around the trap and/or eaten bait.
Baiting
The primary bait for the trapping program was
hot pepper-free sardines. All the
contents of the can except one piece were put behind the triangular rope(s) so
that the animal was forced to go past them to get the bait. The last piece of sardine was squashed with oil from the can.
The mixture was used to leave a trail from the trap to a distance of
about 15 meters, usually to a road, mountain or animal trail.
When there was activity around the traps, all the bait was placed
behind the rope(s) so that the animals were not given the chance to scavenge
the outside bait and not enter the traps.
On the chance that sardines were failing to attract certain animals in
the area, fresh chicken and its viscera, eggs, halawa, fruit (oranges), and/or
chocolate and jam were used with the sardines.
Overall, sardines were the most convenient and effective bait used. Live animals were not used as bait for the traps because of
the ethics of the researchers and the RSCN.
Traps were baited either directly after
checking in the morning, or in the afternoon, before sunset.
If the trap already had a good amount of food in it, only a small
amount of food was added to freshen the bait.
The sensitivity of the trap's trigger was also checked at this time.
With 26 traps, checking for trapped animals in the morning without
baiting took from 2-4 hours depending on the distance between trap sites,
terrain, and presence of traps in cliffs.
If trapped animals were found, checking time doubled.
There was an insignificant difference in captures of animals between
baiting in the morning and the afternoon, so checking and baiting/resetting of
the traps were done simultaneously. The
cold or mild temperatures throughout the survey helped with this decision,
keeping the bait fairly fresh from day to day.
Captures
When an animal was found in a trap, it was
dealt with immediately, before continuing to check the other traps.
Its measurements were taken and recorded into a data sheet.
These are the basic procedures that we used.
First, the trap is covered with a blanket to keep the animal calm while
preparing the animal for treatment. After
preparing the handling area, a big cannabis (hishan) sack is put over the
opening of the trap. The trap is
then opened and the animal scared into the bag if it does not go in by itself.
Once inside the bag, the animal is weighed, and the weight recorded
making sure to subtract the weight of the sack and any ropes tying it shut.
The bag is left aside in the shadow while calculating the dose of
anaesthetic to be given. After
the syringes are prepared with the right dose, the head of the animal is
cornered at the far corner of the bag and grabbed while the animal is still
inside the bag. The bag is opened just enough to expose the thigh.
Two shots are given in the upper thigh of the animal, and then animal
is covered again and the bag closed. After
about 5 minutes the animal is taken from the bag making sure that it is
anaesthetized, for some animals like foxes are known for feigning dead when
they are cornered. All the measurements are taken while holding the head of the
animal in both hands, the animal marked, and then placed back in the bag until
it fully recovers from the anaesthetic. No
release was done unless fully certain of the complete recovery from the
anaesthetic.
Anaesthetic
Three types of anaesthetic were used to
subdue the animal, Ketalin, Atropine, and Rompun.
They work together to sedate, relax and reduce secretions of the
animal. The dosages were
calculated according to the weight of the animal and the type of animal (see
Appendix 18 for dosages and calculations).
The first syringe contained the Ketalin, and the second a mixture of
Atropine and Rompun. Small
carnivores that can be handled without anaesthetic are treated like above but
without anaesthetizing. Captured V.
vulpes were anaesthetized, while V. cana were not.
Used syringes were put in a bag and discarded properly once back at the
house.
Marking
Marking of trapped animals was made to identify them if
recaptured.
Hair cutting was done for this purpose.
The hair was cut in small patches on the flanks, shoulders, and/or tail
base to make differentiating patterns.
Paint marking was not used because of the allergic reaction it might
cause to the skin of animal and because there was no need for more permanent
marking.
No ear tags were used for the unavailability in the local market.
