A black flying fox, named Wolverine by HERG team members, was recently
caught and released in Coen, Far North Queensland, Australia. He is the
first of many HERG animals to have their movements studied
using satellite telemetry. Photo: D. Babski.
This
project, involving a total of nine mature male black flying foxes (P.
alecto) caught in northern Australia, will be fitted with 18g solar powered
Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTTs) manufactured by Microwave Telemetry.
Because large scale movements are the primary interest, the PTTs will be
programmed with a duty cycle of 12 hours on and approximately 156 hours off,
providing once-weekly location fixes. The Collecte Localisation Satellites (CLS)
Argos System, which has receivers onboard National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) satellites, will be used to receive the PTTs
transmissions and calculate the animals location. Photo: D. Babski.
When
asked why the group was studying the large scale movements of flying foxes,
Dr Hume Field, Principal Investigator, replied, "Recently emerged diseases,
such as Nipah virus have implications for animal and public health and for
Australian international trade. Particular concern about the potential
impact of Nipah virus should it appear in Australia is driving the research
focus on flying foxes in northern Australia. The extent of contact between
'Australian' flying foxes and those in the Indomalay archipelago, the mode
of transmission between flying foxes, and factors associated with spillover
from flying foxes to other species are unknown. This proposed project seeks
to address this knowledge gap." Photo: D. Babski.
Since
the PTT was first attached to Wolverine in June 2003, his whereabouts has
been successfully located on nine occasions showing movements to three
different campsites, each separated by a distance of over 50 km. As well as
receiving location information. The PTTs also transmits other information
including battery voltage, temperature and activity. Photo: C. Smith.
Author: C. Smith, H. Field & P. Daszak.