The advantages and disadvantages of using GPS camera collars to study brown bear behaviour in Slovenia

Babić, Tibor (author), Jerina, Klemen (mentor)

Animal-borne video and environmental collection systems (AVEDs) are powerful tools for researching the behaviour of elusive animals, such as brown bears (Ursus arctos), which allows scientists to safely record footage from the perspective of an animal. This study aimed to assess some merits and flaws associated with AVEDs by analysing 5177 video clips recorded with a GPS camera collar, between 03:00 – 06:30 and 18:00 – 21:00 each day, which was attached to a male brown bear on Javorniki in Slovenia. Video clips were categorised into predefined behaviour, food and habitat categories. The most frequently observed behaviour, food and habitat was ‘foraging’ (45% of clips), ‘insects’ (41% of clips) and ‘forest’ (63% of clips). Our findings generally agreed with those of similar studies; however, due to the recording periods being restricted to dusk and dawn, our results did not represent the typical daily behaviour of bears. We concluded that, in its present state, the limitations facing this method make it more suitable for acquiring qualitative data rather than hard quantitative data. Until cameras can sustain continuous operation over longer periods of time and allow for night-time recording, AVEDs should be used as a source of qualitative data to accompany traditional methods of monitoring and to provide a visual channel between the scientific community and the public.

• Language: English
• Keywords: animal monitoring, animal behaviour, animal-borne video system, GPS camera collar, brown bear
• Work type: Bachelor thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.11 - Undergraduate Thesis
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publisher: [T. Babić]
• Year: 2021
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-126293
• UDC: 630*16+630*14(497.4-17)(043.2)=111
• COBISS.SI-ID: 59791107
• Publication date in RUL: 15.04.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Prednosti in slabosti video GPS ovratnic za preučevanje vedenjskih značilnosti rjavega medveda v Sloveniji.

Abstract

Video posnetki narejeni s strani živali in GPS kamera ovratnice (AVED) predstavljajo močno orodje za raziskovanje vedenja izmuzljivih živali, kot je rjavi medved (Ursus arctos), kar znanstvenikom omogoča varno snemanje posnetkov z vidika živali. Cilj te raziskave je bil oceniti nekatere prednosti in pomanjkljivosti povezane z AVED-ji, z analizo 5177 video posnetkov, posnetih z ovratnikom kamere GPS, med 03:00 - 06:30 ter 18:00 - 21:00 uro vsak dan, ki je bil pritrjen na samca rjavega medved na Javornikih v Sloveniji. Video posnetki so bili razvrščeni v vnaprej določene kategorije vedenje, iskanje hrane in habitatni tipi. Najpogosteje opaženo vedenje, hrana in habitatni prostor so bili "iskanje hrane" (45 % posnetkov), "žuželke" (41 % posnetkov) ter "gozd" (63 % posnetkov). Naše ugotovitve so se na splošno ujemale z ugotovitvami podobnih raziskav; ker pa so bila obdobja snemanja omejena na čas mraka in zore, naši rezultati niso predstavljali običajnega dnevnega vedenja medvedov. Ugotovili smo, da je, glede na trenutno stanje te metode in njenih omejitev, le-ta bolj primerna za pridobivanje kvalitativnih podatkov kot solidnih kvantitativnih podatkov. Dokler baterije ne bodo mogle neprekinjeno delovati dlje časa in bodo kamere uspešno lahko snemale tudi ponoči, je treba AVED uporabljati kot vir kvalitativnih podatkov, v kombinaciji z bolj uveljavljenimi metodami monitoringa živali. Hkrati lahko AVED zagotavlja vizualni kanal med znanstveno skupnostjo in javnostjo.

• Keywords: monitoring živali, vedenje živali, rjavi medved, GPS video kamera, avtomatsko video zaznavanje dogodkov