First Experience with a Camera Collar in a Free-Ranging Przewalski’s Horse Group in the Mongolian Gobi

Authors

Petra Kaczensky, University of Veterinary MedicineFollow
Gankhuyag Gantulga, National University of MongoliaFollow
Davaa Lkhagvasuren, National University of MongoliaFollow
Bazartseren Boldgiv, National University of Mongolia
Oyunsaikhan Ganbaatar, National University of Mongolia
Nanjid Altansukh, Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area
Chris Walzer, University of Veterinary Medicine

ORCID IDs

Gankhuyag Gantulga 0000-0003-2329-5131

Date of this Version

2021

Document Type

Article

Citation

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei (2021) band 14: 13-25.

Comments

Copyright 2021, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle Wittenberg, Halle (Saale). Used by permission.

Abstract

Remote sensing and satellite telemetry have allowed to greatly expanding the understanding of how species use various landscapes, even in remote settings. However, remotely collecting data also harbors the risk of losing “touch with the ground.” We explore the possibility of the additional insight cameras integrated in GPS-satellite collars can provide for the behavior and ecology of free-ranging Przewalski’s horse in the remote Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area in southeastern Mongolia. Over a 91-day period, the camera collected 1,080 images. 62% of the images showed Przewalski’s horses and provided insights into behavior and grouping patterns and can supplement indirect measures of behavior from acceleration sensors. Other images provided first information on insect harassment and show the potential of images for ground-truthing environmental conditions, for example, the occurrence of rainfall. The potential for camera collars as an additional tool to study large-bodied ungulates in remote ecosystems seems really promising, although this relatively new technology seems still prone to technical failures.