Monitoring Zealandia's Eco-Sanctuary with Thermal Imaging
Over the summer Zealandia Ecosanctuary engaged Master's Student Hana Barker to research animal movement on their fence using a DOC AI Cam. She recently completed her report on this research.
Over seven weeks Hana deployed a DOC AI Camera at various points along the fence for a week at a time, recording what was seen and correcting any mis-classifications by the camera.
Key Findings
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Human and Canine Activity: The most frequent visitors detected along the fence were humans and their dogs, primarily due to a popular walking path and nearby mountain bike trails. This human activity, while not harmful, underscores the sanctuary's integration into a community space.
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Pest Monitoring: Predators like weasels, stoats and possums were not detected during this study period. However, smaller pests like rodents and hedgehogs made appearances, with cats occasionally noted.
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Cat Concerns: Cats were observed at several locations, which is a concern since they could pose a significant threat to the sanctuary's bird population if they were to breach the fence. The study attempted to differentiate between domestic and potentially feral cats based on their thermal signatures. This hasn't been done before.
Implications
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Fence Integrity: The study confirms the effectiveness of the predator-proof fence, but also highlights the need for vigilance against smaller pests and occasional larger predators.
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Community Engagement: The presence of humans and dogs suggests an opportunity for Zealandia to engage with the local community on conservation efforts, perhaps educating pet owners about the importance of keeping cats indoors or leashed near the sanctuary.
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Technology's Role: This study showcases how technology like thermal imaging and AI can revolutionize wildlife conservation by providing real-time, actionable data on predator movements.
Of course the camera also caught the occasional kiwi, inside the fence of course.
Camera repaired during the research
After Zealandia purchased this camera we developed a new waterproofing technique. Unfortunately the camera got some water damage before we could apply this. The camera was sent to us and waterproofed. This meant a week of monitoring was missed. The refurbished camera should be a lot more robust.