Papua New Guinea: First GPS & Sensor Tracking of Wild Tree Kangaroos

In October 2017 Woodland Park Zoo sent me plus an Emmy award winning filmmaker Joe Pontecorvo (www.joepontecorvo.com) to the top of a remote mountain range in Papua New Guinea. I was invited because I designed an electronic tracking collar that acquires weak GPS signals under a cloud forest canopy, along with an innovative integration of altimeter and motion sensor. This research is part of a conservation program that integrates shade-grown coffee, subsistence hunting, and tree kangaroo conservation. First-ever film footage of this rare animal’s behavior plus substantially new biological data from my tracking devices will be featured on a one-hour television special in 2018. Come get a preview of this dramatic NatGeo experience!

Doug Bonham is a former wildlife biologist from Montana, now a EE on Surface Pro. This project is a spin-off from a National Science Foundation grant that he received for his novel integration of Argos satellite with 802.15.4 wireless links for tracking wildlife. Doug Bonham brings fifteen years of experience designing tracking devices for endangered birds, mammals, and marine animals.