Using Innovative Technology to Enhance the Study and Protection of Great Apes

The Goualougo Triangle Ape Project staff believes that there is great potential in developing and applying new technology to make conservation efforts more efficient and effective. The implementation of cutting-edge technology plays important roles in our behavioral monitoring, communication within the forests, generating sustainable power, and remote sensing of illegal poaching in and around the National Park.

Remote Video Monitoring. The Goualougo Triangle Ape Project pioneered the first large-scale remote video monitoring of wild chimpanzees and gorillas. In 2003, we implemented "ChimpCAMS" that were developed by Steve Gulick (Wildland Security) to monitor the behavior of chimpanzees while termite fishing. These cameras enabled us to document never seen before footage of chimpanzees using tool sets to extract subterranean termites. Up to this day, the remote cameras continue to provide new insights into the complex tool use of these chimpanzees.

Expanding on our success with remote video devices to document tool use, we are currently collaborating with Wildlife Conservation Society's Global Health Program to implement remote cameras for assessing Ebola transmission dynamics and potential routes of vaccine delivery for chimpanzees and gorillas. In this application, video cameras are stationed at fruiting trees known to attract chimpanzees and gorillas and provide a unique window into the overlap of the apes at these food sources.

Communication system. In the dense and remote forest of the Goualougo Triangle, cell phone networks are not available and handheld radio communication is very limited. Recent advances in satellite telephone technology however, have made communication possible with mobile phones. In 2008, the Goualougo Triangle research teams began using the Thuraya SO-2510 mobile satellite telephone. These lightweight and durable telephones allow several modes of communication (voice, text, email) between field teams. This communication system has made our daily surveys for chimpanzees much safer and more efficient.
 

Solar power. Our research and conservation activities are conducted using a variety of electronic devices, all of which are powered by batteries. We rely on solar power to re-charge batteries for items such as ChimpCAMS, laptop computers, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) units and hand held video cameras. An array of nine solar panels is located near the base camp and continually charges a bank of 12-volt batteries to meet our energy demands.

TrailGuard. Ape habitat in the Congo Basin is geographically vast, remote, and impossible to patrol with park rangers effectively with the available resources and traditional methods. Technological applications have been successfully developed to ameliorate such situations and maximize available human resources. Networked (and often internetted) systems consisting of geographically distributed sensors such as magnetic, seismic, acoustic, passive infrared are used in cities around the world.

The Goualougo Triangle Ape Project is assisting Wildland Security in the implementation of an automated anti-poaching system in the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park. The "TrailGuard System" is being developed for anti-poaching applications and will be designed to detect poacher intrusion into protected areas via a network of remote sensors, electronically transmitting this information to park officials, and systematically collecting information on patrol responses to such incursions. TrailGuard technology could revolutionize the way park rangers protect the forests and the wildlife.