Activity pattern and habitat association of Assamese macaques Macaca assamensis McClelland, 1840 in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Nepal

Assamese macaque Macaca assamensis McClelland, 1840 is one of the primate species with narrow distribution range and the least exploration. This study investigated the diurnal activity of Assamese macaque and association with the vegetation in Nagarjun Forest of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Nepal. Behaviour sampling including Instantaneous sampling and Ad-libitum sampling (7:30 AM – 4:30 PM) along with vegetation survey (20 m × 20 m plots) were applied. The Raniban Barrack troop of Assamese macaque composed of 12 individuals was observed for a total of 225 hours to record the macaque’s diurnal activity. The troop spent 28% time in inactive, 25% in grooming, 23% in foraging, 23% in locomotion and 1% in fighting. Assamese macaque troop spent more time in Schima wallichii possessing 25.91%, 36.29% and 41.22% for foraging, locomotion and inactive respectively of the diurnal time. Altogether, 67 plant species (herbs, shrubs, trees and climbers) were documented from vegetation analysis. Schima wallichii and Ardisia macrocarpa were dominated the habitat. Paired t-test revealed significant difference in foraging (df = 24, P = 0.010) and inactive (df = 24, P = 0.003) between the morning and day observational phases. The findings of this study shed light on the food preference and microhabitat use by the protected Assamese macaque in Nepal that assists to formulate the management plans for the species.

Corrections to Kusnetz method for measurements of radon progeny concentrations in air

In 1956, H.L. Kusnetz proposed a quick method for radon progeny concentration measurement in mine atmosphere using a single gross-alpha count of a membrane-filtered air. The method is still widely used today and is based on a number of impractical assumptions. An instantaneous sampling time (less than ten seconds), is one of these assumptions that ignores the build-up and decay of the progeny on the filter paper during the sampling period, which is typically in the order of a few minutes. Of special concern is the 214Bi decay during the sampling period, since 214Po's alphas are lost during the sampling time and cannot be accounted for during the counting time. In addition, the method assumes that 214Bi activity during the counting period is constant. This inaccurate assumption can result in a smaller count rate, especially when counting times are long. Hence, underestimated working levels are expected when using Kusnetz factors without correcting for the sampling and counting times. In this technical report, exact sampling and counting time corrections to the method are provided along with the updated Kusnetz factors that correspond to common equilibrium conditions to correctly estimate the Working Level in air. Additionally, time corrections to the commonly used self-absorption correction formula and the lower level of detectability (LLD) equation used for any sample measurement are given.

spaceNtime: an R package for estimating abundance of unmarked animals using camera-trap photographs

The space to event (STE), time to event (TTE), and instantaneous sampling (IS) methods were developed to estimate abundance of unmarked animals from camera trap images (Moeller et al. in Ecosphere 9(8):e02331, 2018). The space and time to event models use camera data in a different way than other abundance estimation methods do. Instead of using counts of animals over independent events, STE uses a measure of sampled space before the first detection of the target species, and TTE uses the time until the first detection. We introduce , a free and open-source R package designed to assist in the implementation of the STE and TTE models, along with the IS estimator. This package takes the user through the steps of transforming data, defining sampling effort, selecting sampling occasions, building encounter histories, and estimating abundance from camera data using these three methods. The package is designed for users with a baseline level of knowledge of R and statistics, without requiring expertise in either.

Perilaku Alami dan Tidak Alami Burung Kakatua Jambul Kuning (Cacatua sp.) di Animal Sanctuary Trust Indonesia, Jawa Barat

Cockatoo (Cacatua sp.) is one of birds that is widely distributed in Indonesia and often kept as pet, thus threatening the Cacatua population in the wild. Environmental condition may affect the behavior of Cockatoo. Some unnatural behavior may arise due to living in the captive. Different cage conditions may result in different behavior performance in Cockatoo. Research on daily behavior at animal rescue sites at ASTI Bogor has never been conducted. This study aimed to analyze natural and stereotype behavior of Cacatua sp. at animal rescue center due to foreclosure, and analyze the relationship between cage condition and environmental factors. This study used focal instantaneous sampling, using eight individuals Cacatua sp. Cacatua sp. in ASTI performed natural behavior more than unnatural behavior, therefore ASTI can be a good place for animal rescue. The dominant natural behaviors were Resting (Re), Preening (Pr), Feeding (Fe), Locomotion (Lo), and Fighting (Fg), while unnatural behaviors were play, bite, abnormal vocalization, feather picking and aggressive. There are no difference in behavior between male and female, and also behavior in the morning and afternoon (p>0.05), but cage condition had a significant effect to daily behavior of Cacatua sp. (<0.05).

Evaluating the Influence of Conspecifics on a Male Giant Anteater's (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) Pacing Behavior

Stereotypic behavior has been studied in various species, but little information exists on stereotypies in giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) under professional care. Giant anteaters are known for their solitary nature and well-developed sense of smell. This study examined the effect of conspecifics who were housed off-exhibit on a male giant anteater’s rate of pacing and pacing intensity when he was on-exhibit. Instantaneous sampling was used to determine the percentage of time pacing, the number of pacing bouts and pacing bout duration. Randomization tests determined that the reduction in the male giant anteater’s rate of pacing significantly decreased after conspecifics were relocated to a different building. Pacing bout duration, a potential measure of intensity, also significantly decreased during the treatment phase. In addition, the giant anteater changed his pacing location after the removal of conspecifics. He transitioned from pacing near the conspecifics’ off-exhibit location during the baseline to the opposite quadrant of the exhibit after their departure. These results suggest that keeping a male giant anteater in proximity to conspecifics without the ability to interact with them had an impact on his behavior. Better understanding the motivations for stereotypic behaviors of giant anteaters will better inform housing decisions made by zoo professionals.

Rainfall Estimation Accuracy of a Nationwide Instantaneously Sampling Commercial Microwave Link Network: Error Dependency on Known Characteristics

Commercial microwave links are installed and maintained for the purpose of telecommunication. Hydrometeors between transmitting and receiving antennas cause the microwave signal to be attenuated. From signal attenuation, the path-averaged rainfall intensity can be calculated. A 7-month dataset of instantaneously logged signal powers from almost 2000 unique links in the Netherlands is analyzed. Rainfall intensities are calculated with the RAINLINK package with a novel preprocessing module, enabling the package to be applied on instantaneously logged data from now on. Rainfall intensities per link are validated with the path-averaged rainfall intensities according to a gauge-adjusted radar product. Both the overall performance and the dependence of errors on link characteristics and measurement conditions are evaluated. The coefficient of variation decreases from 3.70 to 2.32 and the correlation increases from 0.30 to 0.63 from instantaneous to daily estimates of rainfall accumulations. The coefficient of variation is also smaller during heavy rainfall. Errors are largest for pathlengths shorter than 2 km, for observations during the late night and early morning, and for observations during colder months (when solid or melting precipitation could occur and dew is more likely to form on the antennas). Comparison of our results with those of earlier studies shows that minimum/maximum sampling (widely employed in network management systems) outperforms instantaneous sampling regarding detection of both quantity and occurrence of rain at a 15-min sampling rate in the Dutch climate.

Short Communication: Positional behavior of captive Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) at Bukit Merah Orangutan Island, Perak, Malaysia

Kamaluddin SN, Dharmalingam S, Md-Zain BM. 2019. Short Communication: Positional behavior of captive Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) at Bukit Merah Orangutan Island, Perak, Malaysia. Biodiversitas 20: 425-429. Bukit Merah Orangutan Island (BMOUI) is the only semi-captive orangutan conservation center in the Malay Peninsula. BMOUI promotes orangutan conservation through ex-situ efforts comprising rehabilitation, education, awareness, ecotourism, and research studies. This research aimed to determine the qualitative behavior aspects, especially focusing on the orangutan positional behavior on BMOUI. A focal instantaneous sampling method was carried out for 252 hours from December 2015 to November 2016. The qualitative results showed that the positional behaviors of a Bornean orangutan at BMOUI were divided into nine main categories, as follows: sitting, lying, clinging, forelimb-hindlimb suspension, standing, walking, running, brachiation, and multipositional modes. The most favorable position shown by a captive Bornean orangutan on BMOUI were dominated by sitting and lying postures. The variety of positional modes displayed in a semi-captive condition still maintained Bornean orangutan as the great ape originating from the tropical inhabitants of wooded environments.

Behavior and group movement of proboscis monkey’s (Nasalis larvatus Wurmb.) in Samboja, East Kalimantan

Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus Wurmb.) are endemic primates to the island of Borneo that are subjected to serious problems like habitat loss, fragmentation and forest degradation. Studies of movement behavior of monkeys have been done in the isolated and fragmented habitat in Samboja, East Kalimantan. Behaviour data of feeding, moving, social, resting, and sleeping were collected using instantaneous sampling method. The plots of trees survey were established 20 m x 200 m on each habitat. The movement behavior consists of daily ranging and utilization of height of the canopy. Daily ranging was recorded by GPS and height of canopy utilization divided to 0-3 m, 3.1-6 m, 6.1-9 m, 9.1-12 m, and > 12 m. The results showed that the daily ranging of the monkeys were varied, ranging from 25.7 m– 749.9 m (average 333 m), which home ranges between 4.52 ha – 6.92 ha. Daily movement distance between groups on the three habitat was different. Generally, the monkeys used canopy strata depending on habitat conditions, height, diameter and density of trees.