During
December 2003, the NIH Fogarty Hendra and Nipah Virus Collaborative Research
Group deployed a disease surveillance team in Malaysia. The teams primary
goal was to attach a satellite transmitter or Platform Terminal Transmitter,
(PTT), onto a Pteropus vampyrus, the largest flying fox in Malaysia and one
of the largest in the world. HERG team members, Dr Jon Epstein, Senior
Program Officer, Consortium for Conservation Medicine, Dr Sohayati Abdul
Rahman, graduate student, Veterinary Research Institute, Kwai Hoe Chong,
graduate student, International Medical University and Craig Smith, Research
Program Officer, Department of Primary Industries, Queensland, spent a week
visiting known flying fox colonies and feeding locations gathering
information on the feeding habits and population size of this flying fox.
Photo: C. Smith.
The
fourth flying fox to be fitted with a PTT by the HERG team and the first
in Malaysia, Colossus, was caught feeding in an orchard near Benut,
southwest Peninsular Malaysia. After a veterinary examination to confirm his
good health, the PTT was attached to the flying fox using a leather collar
which allows the PTT to lay along the neck and shoulders of the animal.
Colossus was then released near his colony, located in mangroves west of
Benut. Photo: J. Epstein.
Watch video of the PTT being fitted to Colossus and his release. Video: K. H. Chong
Colossus
had his PTT activated on the 16th December 2003, when he was released in the
mangroves near Benut. On the 27th December 2003 his PTT transmitted his
location to orbiting satellites indicating that he was foraging only 5 km
south of Benut. Then on the 6th January 2004, satellites relayed his
location to HERG team members informing them that Colossus was no longer
in Peninsular Malaysia and that he had travelled 160 km, over 91 km of open
ocean, and was roosting near Dasan, Sumatra, Indonesia. Photo: J. Epstein.
The
battery operated PTT has a duty cycle of 12 hours on and 236 hours off, this
conserves battery power and allows the PTT to remain operational for almost
a year. HERG team members are unable to say how long the journey took as
the transmitter was off during Colossus's flight from Malaysia to Indonesia.
But flying foxes can travel at 25 to 30 km/hr and in a wind tunnel the
Australian grey headed flying fox maintained 26 km/hr for 4 hours. It is
possible that Colossus flew over the 91 km of ocean in as little as 3 hours
and could have made the journey from Benut to Danas in 5 to 6 hours. Map: C.
Smith.
Author: C. Smith.