Why Radio-Telemetry? |
| Even in the best of conditions, working in the tropical rainforest environment is difficult. The dense vegetation, frequent rain storms and biting insects hamper efforts to consistently make observations of animals. These problems are complicated even further when working with tapirs because most of their activity takes place at night. By utilizing radiotelemetry we are able to determine where each individual animal is with relative ease, day or night, in just about any weather condition. |  |
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The greatest advantage to radio-telemetry is that we are able to collect a great amount of information without actually seeing the tapirs. In fact, most of the time we would rather not see them. Why? Because our presence may influence their movements and therefore not reflect their natural behavior. By monitoring them from a distance the tapirs are free to make decisions as to where and when they travel through their territory based solely on their needs. Many times we say we are going out "to find the tapirs", but most of the time we are using the telemetry equipment to determine their location without making visual contact. |  |
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Over time we use the telemetry locations to estimate parameters such as home range size, activity patterns and habitat use. We also analyze the data to discuss how the tapirs distribute themselves and what individuals share the same territories. By comparing the movements of the tapirs with the availability of different habitat types and other resources in the area we can begin to understand what is required to sustain a healthy population. |  |