Dyke diggers in the picture

The Animal Behavior, Animal Health and Animal Welfare research group at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences has received a subsidy from SIA-RAAK for the project "Dijkgravers in beeld” (Dyke diggers in the picture). The project provides more insight into the behavior of muskrats, coypu and beavers. This reduces animal suffering because fewer animals need to be killed and control measures can be better adapted to the behavior of animals.

More targeted detection

Engraving in banks and weirs by muskrats, coypu and increasingly also by beavers in our water-rich Netherlands leads to significant safety risks, economic damage and structural maintenance costs. Catching musk and coypu rats remains necessary, but more insight into the behavior of the animals provides the opportunity to detect them more quickly and effectively. Ultimately, fewer catching means have to be used, there is less chance of unwanted by-catch and fewer animals have to be killed. With a better understanding of the behavior and use of beavers on site, it will be easier to detect excavation damage and it may be possible to 'steer' them in such a way that damage to flood defenses can be prevented.

Transmitters with GPS

To better visualize the behavior of the dyke diggers, transmitters are used that are equipped with a GPS location and behavior sensors. The channels are read via LoRaWAN. The strength of this research lies in the combination of science and practice. The use of this new technology answers the practical question of water boards: how can they prevent excavation damage in quays and banks by learning from the behavior and terrain use of muskrats, coypu and beavers in the Netherlands? The new technology will soon also be usable for monitoring and studying other fauna.

Duration

The project Dyke diggers in the picture runs from March 2018 through February 2021.