Dr. Hoof Stock

Observed 06:45-09:00 am

At daybreak, the waterbuck were bedded down by the fallen tree at the edge of the open pasture and the juniper patch.  They drifted toward the dry waterhole, then moved up to the Juniper Loop.  When I left, Lucifer was lying near the shed on the cut-through road and the females were scattered in singles and small groups in the shade of the junipers.  Toby was with one of the small groups.

At one point, Toby was with 8 females (mostly untagged) and Lucifer was with 12 females and calves across the road.  Lucifer tested untagged females a couple times, but only as far as flehmen.

Got some good video footage of an untagged calf nursing an untagged female.  The calf was very actively butting the udder, so much that it surprised me the female stood for it as long as she did!

Lucifer got up and approached the female.  When he sniffed her rear, she walked forward, interrupting the nursing.  However, each time the calf returned for more suckling.  Finally Lucifer lost interest and the female interrupted the suckling by the calf.  However, the calf followed persistently.  As long as the calf just stood with its head near the teats and did not suckle, the female stood still.  When it tried to suckle, she darted forward.

The posture of the calf while waiting for rejection was very similar to the low neck stretch posture that we have seen Toby and females do to Lucifer, also Douglas to Toby and Crooked Tail to Douglas.  I wonder if it might be a developmental precursor to a display with the function of appeasement (reducing the probability of escalation of conflict).

–Jane

Observed 6-8pm

Lucifer followed a few females from the Juniper Loop toward the thick grass near the clinic.  Toby, 17 females and 4 calves followed them.  The calves paused near the dry waterhole as the others went on, then joined them.  Three of the calves are very close, they bunch up together and seem to follow each other more than their mothers.  I did not see any nursing.  The smallest calf was with her mother, blue tag.

Lucifer grazed near F64Y (her tag is on backwards).  Although Lucifer watched Toby pass at a distance, there was no other overt interaction between them.  Toby did not approach F64Y although he did walk past her when Lucifer’s head was down grazing.

Although Lucifer spent more time grazing than courting F64, there was a short episode where he followed licking his nostrils.  When she stopped with tail raised, he did a foreleg lift and sniffed her rear, but she did not stand for him.  When she urinated, he did flehmen.  Several times he tapped her rear with one horn.  She scooted forward and moved away from the group of females.  However, when she got about 100 m away, she circled around and returned to the females.  I interpretted this as Lucifer herding the female, much more overt than I had seen before.  He did not cut her off from returning to the group, as I have seen in other species.

When F54Y walked toward the sable in the middle of the open pasture, Lucifer followed.   It was close to twilight, but there was enough light to get good video.  He mounted several times, each time with her moving away.  Although he had an erection, the mounts were brief, without the stiff hind leg and head jerk.  She moved away about a body length each time and he followed.

The calves all went around the fence into the area west of the clinic enclosure.  Two white tail fawns dashed around energetically, while the others watched.  Then the waterbuck calves all dashed around.  Even Lucifer got caught up in the energy and trotted over to watch them.  It was just as dusk was falling.  A light breeze felt cool.

Lucifer grazed near three calves and a female, with no interaction.  The calves and female laid down.  When one calf left, the female got up and licked the rear of another calf while it was lying.  Lucifer came over to the third calf and tapped its rear.  It jumped up and moved away.  Lucifer sniffed at the location where the calf had been bedded, then laid down in the same spot!  He wiped his horns in the grass.  Then he followed the female and calves.  After grazing a bit, he laid down.  It was so dark, I could see little and left.

–Jane

1-Hour Behavior Observation Protocol  |  print me! |

What to bring:

·         Data sheets

·         Pencil/pen

·         Camcorder and extra battery

·         Blank 60min tapes

·         Watch

·         Science In Action magnet for vehicle

·         Binoculars

Process:

1.      Begin by locating Lucifer the vasectomized waterbuck.  Start in Juniper Loop, which is the large pasture with the quarantine areas and it is the area just before arriving at Safari Camp.  If no waterbuck are present.  Look around Safari Camp first and then back by the Lodge and creek. Please stay on designated roads for safety. (See map for survey route)

2.      Label the tape with the date, location (fossil rim), and the number of tapes for the day.  For example, the first tape would be 9-5-08 Fossil Rim #1, the second tape 9-5-08 Fossil Rim # 2, etc.

3.      Once Lucifer is found, do the first proximity recording on data sheet.  (see example data sheet)  In addition, write the number one on the map, where his (and others) location is.

4.      Begin recording 6-minute focal of Lucifer no matter what his behavior is.  Make sure Lucifer is the main focal individual.  If others are in close proximity to him, they may be included in the view.  Try to maintain a steady hand throughout focal.

5.      After the 6 minutes are up.  Record comments, and focal time on the data sheet. In addition, if a mounting behavior is recorded for example, write down in the comment area the identity tag numbers of the female.

6.      Wait another 6 minutes and then begin recording another 6-minute focal.

7.      At 30 minutes into observation, record the second proximity on data sheet. Write the number 2 for second proximity location on map.

8.      Continue 6-minute focals with a 6 minute break in between. 

9.      At the end of the hour record the third and final proximity.  Write the number three on the map for third proximity location.  At the end of one-hour observations, one should have approximately five 6-minute focals on a tape.

10.   Write a two-sentence summary of the day’s events and then post those comments on the blog.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What if at the end of a focal an interesting behavior is occurring?  At the end of the 6-minute focal stop the focal and start another 6-minute focal immediately.  Do not wait another 6 minutes.
2. What if I do not see Lucifer? Continue to drive around until he is found.  If he is absolutely nowhere to be found.  Do a focal on the calves.  Then look again for Lucifer.  Make a note on data sheet if a calf focal is recorded.
3. What if Lucifer goes out of sight during a focal?  End the focal after one minute and write abort on data sheet and reasoning. Try to locate him.
4. What happens if the tape runs out? Change the tape if there is less than six minutes left on the tape.

           Today Toby and Douglas challenged each other less. I only saw them knock horns once. Something interesting happened and I am not quite sure of the significance of it: a female shook her head at Douglas. She came over and sniffed him. Then he sniffed her rear. He never did the foreleg kick or mounted her, but I thought that it was interesting that she initiated the interaction.

 –Lauren

This morning I saw a herd of 12 females by the vet clinic. I got to watch the calf run and play. Later I found another herd by the Lodge with Toby and Douglas. When they caught sight of my truck they began to walk off towards the woods. They went to a clearing far past the Lodge that was out of view.

            I wonder why the full herd is never together.

-Lauren

Today I actually found most of the whole herd together. In the trees by the vet clinic there was 19 waterbuck. Douglas grazed all morning. He showed interest in neither the females nor Toby. He followed the herd into the trees at 7:30 a.m.

–Lauren

            I located a herd of 14 females, Crooked Tail, and another larger sized calf in the front pasture. I found Lucifer and Toby with 2 other females by the Lodge. Lucifer sniffed a female but soon lost interest. They were all grazing. There was a mother and calf nursing that I got on video. Also, there was a single waterbuck female on the Juniper Loop. That initial herd of females had moved behind the vet clinic, into the shed. There was very little activity with them.

–Lauren

The males were switched on July 10, 2008.  See Field Notes for details

These are ideas we generated while brainstorming how to coordinate among education, animal care and natural resources over the next year.  We moved some of our actions that needed to unfold over a longer time frame into the summer. …

These are our brainstorming thoughts about what we need to plan for in the spring.  The plan is to switch out the intact and vasectomized males again and Renee will want to collect detailed information for her thesis.