The Best Laid Plans of Fieldworkers...

...they often go awry

My supervisor helped me arrange a great schedule where I had 3.5 days of assistant help in the group I really needed to be in.  And then things started happening.

First, we got this arranged exactly as three concurrently consorting females deflated (stopped consorting).  Ok, that gave me a couple days to better learn individual ids in that group and do this urine collection test.  Then, we had a female start consorting.  Of course right before off days, but I got a few days of good preliminary data.

Oh, and I got sick right before off days; I barely made it through the last day, and wouldn’t have without coming in while the animals were near camp at lunch time.  Had a coke and a short rest, managed the rest of day.  Was just so tired and weak feeling, thought I was just tied from the week.  Sleep most of my first day off (we do 5 days on, 2 off).

Uh-huh…until I went out after my off days.  My stomach was a bit upset the second day off, but I thought I’d accidentely eaten something with dairy (turns out those hazelnut/chocolate spreads have milk, whoops) and it wasn’t bad.  Of course our insane animals went straight for one of the worst areas.  And I was starting to realize I was not ok, and feeling all weak and woozy.  Which is a fabulous thing to realize when you are deep  into the scrubbiest nastiest part of the home range, and rather far from home.  My female wasn’t even consorting, so I really had little to lose that day anyhow (I pushed through the last day since I was getting good preliminary data).  I decided I’d better go in before I got worse, and it took me over an hour…I hate the scrub and really wish this group spent less time in the secondary forest.  I’ve been home ever since and am going to the doctor tomorrow in Manado, though I think I am getting better.

That’s not all: we have another juvenile with a snare and we’re at three failed darting days.  So, that is taking time and assistants (ie, I’m not working on my own stuff since this has priority).  Until we catch this kid and get him unsnared, the whole schedule is messed up.  We try again Tuesday and I really hope we succeed, both for our schedules and this poor kid, who will likely die without our intervention and still may lose a hand.

Plus some logistic things: all the assistants go to Manado tomorrow for a vaccine, so no monkey work (no darting attempt for example).

I should have what I need from this preliminary field season though, I’d just really like a couple more days data.  Fortunately, one of the popular females is already starting to consort (heh, she’s sterile, but the males love her…her swelling is smallish, but already got interest).

QED: Nothing ever goes as planned with field work and you’ve got to roll with the punches.