Over 190 giant bronze geckos captured under new research project |29 August 2016

The new research project on the giant bronze gecko that started in February has progressed rapidly over the past few months.

Since our last update on the project in March, 10 adult geckos (five males and five females) have been fitted with radio transmitters.

These tiny transmitters are attached to the geckos with a small ‘backpack’ that holds the transmitter snugly on the gecko’s back with minimal discomfort to the animal.

MSc student Chris Tagg and his team then track these tagged geckos several times a day five days a week.

This will help in gaining more information about the movements of the giant geckos in the Vallée de Mai.

Alongside this, the team are also continuing with the capture-mark-recapture study of the geckos with over 500 captures recorded so far, including over 190 different individuals.

Each gecko caught for the first time is measured, sexed and a DNA sample taken. Finally, a PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) tag is implanted subcutaneously, which permanently identifies individuals with a unique ‘barcode’ that can be read with a scanner when recaptured.

The next step is to analyse the recapture rate using MARK software which will give an estimate of the population within the survey area that can then be extrapolated to the whole of the Vallée de Mai.

This impressive progress in this research would not have been possible without the great help and support from the whole Vallée de Mai team who have assisted with late night capturing, processing geckos, and early morning radio-tracking.

Willow West helped in setting up the field work, Brian Souyana has assisted throughout, even working on his days off to process captured geckos quickly, and now new volunteer Meagan Selvig is here to provide additional support and continuation in the upcoming months. So a big thank you to all three for the work they have put in.

Contributed