My name is Ashley Fortner and I am a senior studying
Applied Global Conservation. I am currently working with Dr. Elizabeth Freeman
to investigate the effectiveness of two new technology programs in monitoring
behavior in the endangered red panda. Due to its status as endangered,
scientists are working to promote successful reproduction of this species in
captivity. However, red pandas face many challenges such as poor milk
production and poor maternal care. To better understand these challenges, Dr.
Freeman and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) have placed
video cameras within the nest boxes of female red pandas at SCBI. Although
these cameras are helpful, problems such as continuous recording and having to
hand score behaviors make this process lengthy and difficult. Ruby for Good, a
non-profit software company, developed two new programs; one to cut out the
video feed not containing red pandas (dead space) and another that will
facilitate scoring of red panda behaviors. I will be comparing these new
programs with the old methods of behavior monitoring to see if they are as
effective at monitoring red panda behavior.
What got me interested in my project was seeing
the red pandas daily while I was studying at the Smithsonian-Mason School of
Conservation in Front Royal, Virginia. I was curious about their personalities
and their behavior and was dying to learn more. I found out that Dr. Freeman,
whom I had known since my freshman year, was currently working with them so I
reached out to her to see how I could get involved and she helped me develop
this project.
Although my long-terms goals are not concrete,
I know that I want to be zookeeper when I graduate in the spring. The ability
to study an animal’s behavior and understand what they are expressing will be
an invaluable skill as a zookeeper. It is essential to be able to understand
these cues to recognize when there is something the animal needs from you and
will allow you to implement enrichment to better their quality of life.
A really cool thing about my project is that
what I do on a weekly basis is constantly changing as the project develops.
Last week, I summarized chapters on proper protocol for monitoring behavior and
this past week I poured over 30 hours of red panda footage practicing scoring
behaviors. One thing that I have discovered this term is that monitoring animal
behavior is not a walk in the park. Animals, like humans, tend to do many
things at once. It may seem easy to watch an animal and document its behavior,
but as an observer, you have to have an unparalleled attention span and the
speed to keep up with what is going on.
