Daily Diary

t4cd has joined forces with Professor Rory Wilson of Swansea University, and University of Pretoria MSc student Craig Shepstone to trial an innovative new technology, which captures an unprecedented level of detail about animal behaviour.   The Daily Diary is a “data-logger” that contains 10 sensors and, when attached to individual animals using a collar, can record detailed movements and a range of environmental variables including temperature, light, humidity and pressure.

t4cd is sponsoring a trial of the Daily Diary on the endangered Sable Antelope.  Sable, one of the largest antelope species, is increasingly threatened across its range.  Craig’s study is investigating the impacts of nutrition, genetics and inter-specific competition on Sable conservation.  When deployed, the Daily Diary devices will collate detailed data on individuals’ activities for approximately a 2 week period.  The aim of this trial is to collate valuable data that will inform future conservation management plans for Sable Antelope in South Africa, and will form the first proof of concept of this cutting-edge technology on a large, terrestrial mammal.

Perhaps the most exiting element of the Daily Diary system is the potential to use the data it collects to estimate energy expenditure by the animal.  Recent tests on imperial and great cormorants indicate that using acceleration (movement) data recorded by the Daily Diary can be used to calculate energy expenditure in wild animals, negating the need to costly and stressful lab tests.

To learn more about Professor Wilson's work visit the Rolex Awards website.