Camera traps reveal Romania's incredible wildlife

JULY 8, 2019

by Olivia Bailey, Fauna & Flora International

Grey wolves, brown bears and Eurasian lynx have all been captured on film by camera traps in Romania. The camera traps were carefully positioned to monitor the distribution of bears and wolves, but Fauna & Flora International's (FFI) team in Romania was delighted by the diversity of species recorded in the area, which also included European wildcat, wild boar and red deer.

The presence of so many different animals highlights the importance of protecting the Zarand Landscape Corridor in Transylvania, which allows large carnivores to move between the Western and Southern Carpathian Mountains.

Sadly, this vital corridor is threatened by large-scale infrastructure development, intensified forestry practices and loss of traditional agriculture practices. For this reason, FFI and partner Zarand Association have been working together to improve connectivity between the two areas to protect the region's diverse and distinctive landscape and its wildlife.

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Wild African ape reactions to novel camera traps

African wild apes notice and often react to novel items in their environment

Date:  March 14, 2019

Source:  Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

An international team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, analyzed video from remote camera-trap devices placed in ape-populated forests throughout Africa to see how wild apes would react to these unfamiliar objects. Responses varied by species, and even among individuals within the same species, but one thing was consistent throughout: the apes definitely noticed the cameras.

"Our goal was to see how chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas react to unfamiliar objects in the wild since novel object experiments are often used in comparative psychology research, and we wanted to know if there were any differences among the three great apes," says Ammie Kalan, a primatologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. "We were specifically surprised by the differences in reactions we observed between the chimps and bonobos. Since they're sister species and share a lot of the same genetic makeup, we expected them to react similarly to the camera, but this wasn't the case."

"The chimpanzees were overall uninterested in the camera traps -- they barely seemed to notice their presence and were generally unbothered by them," Kalan says. "Yet the bonobos appeared to be much more troubled by camera traps; they were hesitant to approach and would actively keep their distance from them."

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Camera trap study reveals the hidden lives of island carnivores

Date:  December 21, 2018

Source:  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A gray wolf in 2015 on Stockton Island, Wisconsin.

Credit: Photo courtesy Max Allen/Erik Olson/Tim Van Deelen

Researchers placed 160 cameras on 19 of the 22 Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin to see which carnivores were living there. After taking more than 200,000 photos over a period of three years, the team discovered that several mammalian predators are living on various islands in this remote archipelago in Lake Superior.

Reported in the journal Community Ecology, the study reveals a thriving community of carnivores, with some doing better than others on islands that differ in size and proximity to the mainland.

The researchers put motion-activated cameras on each of the islands studied, at a density of one camera per square kilometer. Over time, the camera traps recorded 10 of 12 Wisconsin land carnivores, including American martens, black bears, bobcats, coyotes, fishers, gray foxes, gray wolves, raccoons, red foxes and weasels. The cameras also captured images of semiaquatic carnivores mink and river otters, as well as raptors, small rodents, squirrels, songbirds and waterfowl.

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Elusive Marbled Cats Secretly Photographed in Borneo

by Laura Geggel, Staff Writer | March 23, 2016 05:39pm ET

A secret photo shoot deep in the forests of Malaysian Borneo is helping researchers determine just how many marbled cats — rare, tree-climbing felines — live in the region, according to a new study.

Marbled cats (Pardofelis marmorata) are extremely elusive creatures. To get a better idea of the cats' stomping grounds, the researchers placed camera traps in eight forests and two palm oil plantations in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, they said.

After four months of secret, motion-triggered infrared photography, the researchers found that marbled cats are most numerous in the lowlands where the forest is undisturbed. However, they did find a few cats in selectively logged areas. [See Camera Trap Photos of the Elusive Marbled Cat]

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Photo proof of snow leopards in newly created refuge in Siberia

Camera trap images have been taken of snow leopards in the newly created National Park of Sylyugem National Park in the Altai mountains of Siberia.

Aleksei Kuzhlekov, a national park researcher, reports that, "four pictures of snow leopard were taken at different times, probably of three or four individuals".

The Saylyugem National Park was created five years ago to protect wildlife in that region of Siberia, especially the snow leopard and argali mountain sheep, in an area totaling 118,380 hectares.

One of the camera-trapped images of 

Siberian snow leopard

The creation of the reserve was much needed, because poachers had killed more than 10 snow leopards in the area in the 1990s alone, to sell their pelts and body parts on the black market for Chinese medicine.

The snow leopard is in the endangered category on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with as few as 4,000 left in the world, of which only 2,500 are likely to be breeding. 

The head of the local conservation department, Igor Ivanitsky, adds: "We were able to place the cameras in the right place by painstakingly working out the movements routes of the cats.

Read on ...

Liberian camera trap survey captures rare footage of forest elephants

Camera traps in Liberia have captured footage of chimps, pygmy hippos and elephants. This is the country’s only footage of elephants filmed outside a designated protected area and includes scenes of a forest elephant heaving its massive body up a steep slope with surprising agility.

The cameras are part of a biodiversity baseline study carried out by Fauna & Flora International (FFI) in Wonegizi Proposed Protected Area, which aimed to gain a better understanding of the current health of the ecosystem and its wildlife.

“The initial surveys found at least three elephants in the area, but we have barely scratched the surface – we suspect that a more intensive, elephant-focused survey might reveal many more,” explained FFI’s Project Adviser, Josh Kempinski.

Read on ...

In Images: Rare Amur Leopard Cubs Spotted on Camera

http://www.livescience.com/41533-images-amur-leopard-cubs-spotted.html

Sumatran rhino confirmed in Kalimantan for the first time - Video

Indonesian Borneo rhinos confirmed for the first time for decades

October 2013. Using video camera traps, a joint research team that included members from WWF-Indonesia and the district authorities of Kutai Barat, East Kalimantan, have captured video of the Sumatran rhino in East Kalimantan. The footage of the rhinos, the rare Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, is the fruit of three months of research that collected footage from 16 video camera traps. The team is delighted to have secured the first known visual evidence of the Sumatran rhino in Kalimantan.

"This physical evidence is very important, as it forms the basis to develop and implement more comprehensive conservation efforts for the Indonesian rhinoceros," said Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan upon unveiling the video at the opening of the Asian Rhino Range States Ministerial Meeting in Lampung, Sumatra. "This finding represents the hard work of many parties, and will hopefully contribute to achieving Indonesia's target of three percent per year rhino population growth." He emphasized that all parties need to immediately begin working together to develop a scientific estimate of all the remaining Sumatran rhino populations in Kalimantan, and to implement measures to conserve the species, particularly by strengthening the protection and security of the rhinos and their habitats.

Historical records

There were historical records of rhino in Kalimantan, but there have been few, if any sightings for at leat 50 years, though there have been occasional reports of footprints being seen, and a couple of reports of rhino being poached. 

Wallowing video - Possibly several rhinos

The remarkable evidence from the camera traps includes footage of a rhino wallowing in the mud to keep its body temperature cool and a rhino walking in search of food. The rhino footage, captured on June 23, June 30 and August 3, is believed to show different rhinos although confirmation of this will require further study.

Nazir Foead, Conservation Director of WWF-Indonesia, said, "To ensure the protection of the species, a joint monitoring team from the Kutai Barat administration, Rhino Protection Unit, and WWF have been conducting regular patrols around the area. WWF calls on all parties, in Indonesia and around the world, to immediately join the effort to conserve the Indonesian rhinoceros".

Commenting on the findings, the district head of West Kutai, Ismael Thomas SH. M. Si., noted "The local administration is fully supporting these conservation activities in West Kutai. We are drafting further laws to protect endangered animals --- including these rhinos." 

The Asian Rhino Range States Ministerial Meeting is taking place in Lampung 2-3 October 2013, with participation of goverment representation from Bhutan, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and Nepal.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/kalimantan-rhino013.html

Camera traps capture Critically Endangered Dama gazelle in Sahara

Barbary sheep, caracal and poachers also caught on camera

October 2013. Listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Dama gazelle is one of the world's rarest and most endangered antelopes. Formerly common across its grassland habitats of the Sahelian zone of Africa, it now only exists in a small handful of tiny, isolated populations in Niger and Chad. 

Overhunting means just 300 Dama gazelle left in the wild

With overhunting by far the major cause for its demise, the Dama gazelle is also prone to encroachment of its preferred habitats by livestock development and agriculture, as well by severe drought and desertification. In all, there are probably no more than 300 Dama gazelles in the wild today.

Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) has been working to conserve the gazelle for several years and the need for more nonintrusive ways of monitoring the presence and distribution of this shy and highly vulnerable species are urgently required to formulate viable management plans.

In 2010, the Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund generously awarded SCF $26,200 for the purchase and deployment of a grid of camera traps to help monitor and manage a significant population of the Dama gazelle in Niger's newly created Termit and Tin Toumma National Nature Reserve.

Community engagement

In recent years, hunters from the local population of Toubou pastoralists have been the gazelles' main threat, with animals being shot opportunistically in ones and twos. Work with the herders and their community leaders is, however, having a positive impact.

Read on

Camera traps in Philippines reveal dramatic dwarf buffalo images

WWF, DENR and FEU Programme Aims to Double Wild Tamaraw Numbers by 2020

June 2013. Camera traps deployed in the rugged mountains of the Philippines Mindoro Island's Iglit-Baco range have captured dramatic images of Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) - the world's rarest buffalo species and the Philippines' largest endemic land animal.

Part of ‘Tams-2' - an ambitious public-private partnership initiative to double wild Tamaraw numbers from 300 to 600 by 2020, the small infrared cameras are crucial tools in giving scientists a glimpse of the habits of particularly secretive animals. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has deployed hundreds of camera traps worldwide.

Just 350 remain alive

Camera traps deployed on Mindoro revealed ground-breaking images of Tamaraw - a species too elusive and dangerous to approach. Only about 350 of the dwarf buffalo are thought to remain, prompting the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to classify them as critically endangered - one precarious step above extinction.

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Camera traps open up hidden corners of China

Photos offer rare glimpse into panda habitat

MAY 2013. WWF has released dozens of photographs and video footage of endangered species captured by camera traps in the mountainous giant panda reserves in China, marking this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity. The images and footage, rarely seen before, showcase an array of endangered species in their remote habitats in south-western Sichuan Province, including giant panda, red panda, Tibetan stump-tailed macaque and leopard cat.

“The multimedia materials are obtained under circumstances, where there was little external disturbance and therefore they truly reflect the conditions of those species in the wild,” said Jiang Zeyin, species programme officer at WWF-China.

100 camera traps

The photos have all been taken since 2011, by more than 100 infra-red camera traps set up in six nature reserves by WWF and its partners from the local forestry authority as part of the monitoring effort under the giant panda conservation programme.

With the footage, WWF conservation officers have gained a better understanding of the identification of animal traces and areas of their activities, the study of the impact of human activities on the species and management of nature reserves, according to Jiang.

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Vote now to help prevent rhino poaching

Rhino slaughter at crisis point - Help ZSL win the race to install next generation camera traps

May 2013. More than 1,000 African rhinos have been slaughtered in just eighteen months, as armed poachers cash in on soaring demand for horns. Conservationists racing to build next generation camera traps for deployment in poaching hotspots, are appealing for public support to secure crucial funds to save hundreds of rhinos and elephants over the next two years. 

£500,000 to buy camera traps - Vote Now

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is in the running to receive a £500,000 Global Impact Award from Google that would allow cameras, equipped with automated sensors, to be installed in Tsavo National Park, Kenya, within months; creating a safety net of eyes and ears to protect threatened wildlife. 

The cameras transmit images, detect passing vehicle vibrations and even triangulate the sound of gunshots, to provide an accurate location of poachers. Information can be sent to rangers in real-time, enabling immediate intervention. 

ZSL's field conservation director, Professor Jonathan Baillie, says: "Rhinos are being massacred daily by gangs of armed poachers. This large-scale organised crime means law enforcers are being overpowered, but our new cameras will help turn the tide and put an end to this slaughter."

Professor Baillie, adds: "We now need the public to vote for us to receive this Google Impact Award and get these life-saving cameras out to law enforcers and park rangers before it's too late."

Vote Now - Voting closes on 31st May 2013

The project is a finalist in Google's Global Impact Challenge, with a public voting window open from 22 to 31 May 2013 

Vote here

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/rhino-vote.html

Camera traps show wealth of wildlife in Bolivia's threatened Beni savannah

Great footage of giant anteater wallowing

May 2013. Recent Glasgow University expeditions to Bolivia's Beni savannah have produced important survey data on the birds and mammals of the Barba Azul Nature Reserve. The research teams also captured fascinating camera-trap footage including a great sequence of a Giant Anteater enjoying a nocturnal wallow.

World Land Trust (WLT) is currently raising funds to extend Barba Azul Nature Reserve, an area of extraordinary biodiversity managed by WLT's Bolivian conservation partner Armonía.

Joanne Kingsbury led Glasgow University's first research expedition to Barba Azul Nature Reserve in Bolivia's Beni savanna in 2009. A student of zoology at Glasgow University (GU), Joanne went on to assist three more expeditions to Barba Azul between 2010 and 2012. In April Joanne shared her experiences of the reserve with Ruth Canning, WLT's Conservation Programmes Manager (Americas Region) and WLT Council Member, Kevin Cox. In general, bird numbers seem to be fluctuating, which is a concern, but mammal populations, on the other hand, seem to be either stable or actually increasing.

Remote and undisturbed - Buy an Acre Fund

The extension to the reserve, which WLT is raising funds for through the Buy an Acre fund, includes 26 isolated forest islands and 3 large forest islands within this savannah habitat.

These forest islands are crucial habitat for a host of species particularly the endangered Blue-throated Macaw. Larger islands are important to the macaws for foraging, and smaller ones are thought to be safe havens for roosting and nesting.

Extending the reserve will offer more potential breeding areas for the species, as well as additional areas of tall grass savannah, vital for several of the reserve's threatened grassland birds.

"The Beni is phenomenal for wildlife, a unique endemic habitat, found nowhere else in the world and we need to protect as much of this habitat as we can now before it's too late," says Joanne who fears that more road and bridge building would be disastrous. "If better roads went in, that would be the beginning of the end for the habitat and its wildlife."

Continued: http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bolivia-beni-savannah.html

How to Count Komodo Dragons

Douglas Main, OurAmazingPlanet Staff Writer

Date: 29 March 2013 Time: 05:30 PM ET

How do you count Komodo dragons? With some cameras and the element of surprise.

Camera traps are frequently used to take pictures and monitor populations of large mammals like tigers and leopards, but until now, they haven't been used often to count Komodo dragons ― the world's largest lizards ― or other reptiles and amphibians.

Recent research suggests that they can and should be used to keep tabs on these animals, and that cameras may beat the physical traps currently used to monitor Komodo dragon populations.

Camera traps work by taking pictures when alerted to the presence of an animal by a motion detector, often an infrared one that detects heat. That's a potential problem for reptiles and amphibians, which are cold-blooded, and thus often have the same temperature as the surrounding environment.

But the study, published online last week in the journal PLOS ONE, found that cameras worked about as well as traps at detecting the presence of Komodo dragons ― and, in certain areas, did even better. Plus, they require much less manpower to operate, and are far less expensive. With cameras, there is also no need to set up a large trap, bait it with goat meat and free the animal afterward.

Filming dragons

The finding is significant, considering Komodo populations are threatened by human activities and that many lizards and amphibians are in decline around the world. Camera traps could help keep monitor these reptilian beasts elsewhere.

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/28319-komodo-dragons-on-camera.html

Just 20 individual cheetahs identified in Iran so far, including 6 surviving females

More areas left to be surveyed

March 2013. Based on recent camera trapping surveys in Iran, just 20 different Asiatic cheetahs have been identified in the country. Initiated in late 2011, the first comprehensive national population survey has been implemented by the Iranian Cheetah Society (ICS) and Iranian Department of Environment (DoE) in partnership with Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) and Panthera. 

Around half of the country's known cheetah population exist in central province of Yazd with multiple reserves for the species, while rest of the cheetahs roam areas such as Miandasht, Kavir, Turan & Doruneh amongst.

The Asiatic cheetah has attracted intensive attention of national and international scientific communities who are studying various aspects of its life, particularly its population size. However, so far, no precise and accurate estimate of the species population was available, making assessment of conservation measures difficult, or even impossible.

Camera traps
Camera traps have been proposed as a useful way to estimate their numbers, based on other large cat research. However, due to lack of necessary equipment and funding, limited scientific training and absence of an experienced team of trained field biologists, this technique has rarely been applied to the Critically Endangered Asiatic cheetahs.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/iran-cheetah-population013.html#cr

India: Leopards in the Backyard

Mar. 8, 2013 — A new camera-trapping study in India has revealed that leopards can occur at high densities in densely-populated and heavily-modified agricultural environments. Despite the high density of leopards there are no reports of human fatalities in the study area.

The results from this study challenge the popular misperception that large carnivores require wilderness areas to survive. On one hand this greatly expands the area of interface between humans and leopards which will require a proactive approach to dealing with potential conflicts on a large scale. However, on the other hand it opens up many new areas for conservation, greatly increasing the chances of maintaining the connectivity which is so important to maintain viable populations in the long term.

An image of a leopard taken with a camera trap. 

(Credit: Vidya Athreya)

The conservation of large carnivores like wolves, bears, tigers and lions is always a challenging task in our modern and crowded world. Humans have modified and fragmented habitats and often experience a diversity of conflicts with large predatory neighbours.

There is currently a major debate going on among conservationists about how to best go about achieving large carnivore conservation. Alternatives range from a focus on fencing carnivores into protected areas to allowing them to reoccupy shared landscapes where they must coexist with human activities. At least part of this discussion depends on determining to what extent the species can tolerate living in human-dominated landscapes.

In order to investigate this a team of researchers from Norway (Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and Norwegian University for Life Sciences) and India (Wildlife Conservation Society -- India) conducted a camera-trapping study around the town of Akole in western India.

Continued: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130308093806.htm

Camera traps capture 1m images of wildlife in the tropics - video

One million images of wildlife in 16 tropical forests around the world have been captured by the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) Network. Since it began its work in 2008 to monitor changes in wildlife, vegetation and climate, cameras in the the Americas, Africa and Asia have photographed more than 370 different species including elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees, large cats, honey badgers, tapirs and tropical birds.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2013/feb/13/camera-traps-capture-1m-wildlife-tropics-video

Jaguar and ocelot photographed in southern Arizona

Jaguar seen previously in different mountain range

December 2012. An adult male jaguar and an adult male ocelot have been photographed in two separate southern Arizona mountain ranges by automated wildlife monitoring cameras. The images were collected as part of the Jaguar Survey and Monitoring Project led by the University of Arizona. Both animals appear to be in good health.

Jaguar photographed in 2011 & 2012 in different locations
In late November 2012, the UA project team downloaded photos from wildlife cameras set up as part of the research project and found new pictures of a jaguar in the Santa Rita Mountains. A total of ten jaguar photos were taken by three UA cameras and one Arizona Game and Fish Department camera. The cat's unique spot pattern matched that of a male jaguar in the Whetstone Mountains photographed by a hunter in the fall of 2011, providing clear evidence that the big cats travel between southern Arizona's "sky island" mountain ranges.

A September 2012 jaguar "tail" photo was previously reported by the Arizona Game and Fish Department from a hunter's automated wildlife monitoring camera in the Santa Rita Mountains. None of the UA photos can be matched to this "tail" photo because, in the new photos, the tail is obscured or the opposite side of the jaguar was photographed. However, the jaguar is most likely the same individual.

Ocelot
In addition, a new ocelot photo was taken in the Huachuca Mountains west of Sierra Vista by one of the UA project cameras. Again, comparisons of the spot patterns revealed this to be the same male ocelot that has been reported by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and photographed in the Huachucas several times in 2011 and 2012. However, the UA photo was taken about 4 miles away from the previous photos, demonstrating that even the smaller cats move across the rugged Arizona landscape.

The purpose of the UA research project is to establish a non-invasive, hands-off system for detecting and monitoring jaguars and ocelots. The project is using motion-sensor-activated "trail" cameras placed in areas most likely to detect the spotted cats. Once fully operational, up to 240 paired cameras will be in place throughout the project area to capture images of both sides of detected animals.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/jaguar-arizona012.html

Camera traps deployed to catch tiger poachers in Russia

First time camera traps are used to catch illegal activity 

November 2012. Conservationists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) will be the first to use camera traps specifically for catching trespassers. Camera traps are typically used to capture images of endangered species for conservation purposes. But in a bid to increase anti-poaching efforts, special camera traps will be camouflaged and hidden in Russian forests to record illegal entry by would-be poachers.

Lazovsky Nature Reserve and Zov Tigra National Park
As part of ZSL's ‘Forest Eyes' project, a total of 30 camera traps will be set up in Lazovsky Nature Reserve and Zov Tigra National Park in the Russian Far East, equivalent to a total area a little larger than London. The two protected areas are 15 to 20 kilometres apart and separated by public land used mostly for hunting and logging. This results in people taking advantage of the area between the nature reserve and the national park to trespass onto nearby protected areas.

ZSL tiger conservationist Linda Kerley says: "The images from camera traps set up for humans will better inform us of any illegal activity in protected areas, so inspectors can be notified and patrols changed accordingly. We will be able to monitor the area more effectively and ensure we are doing all we can to try and change people's attitudes and behaviours towards poaching," Linda added.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/amur-tiger-poacher.html

Rare wildlife caught on camera in Borneo wildlife corridor

Camera trap proves how vital Borneo wildlife corridor is for large species

September 2012. Researchers from the School of Biosciences at the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) in Sabah, Malaysia have completed 18 months of a camera trapping project in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.

"This long-term programme initiated by the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) aims to provide information on presence/absence of wildlife in the corridor and document its use by different species," said Dr Laurentius Ambu, Director of the SWD.

A corridor of forest between two fragments of the Sanctuary has been monitored for more than 18 months using camera traps. The results have captured a rich biodiversity that exists within this segment of forest.

27 mammal species including very rare otter civet
"After 18 months of intensive camera trapping, we have identified 27 species of mammals including the extremely rare otter civet and the charismatic Sunda clouded leopard and Malayan sun bear; and six species of birds including the endangered storm stork," summarised Dr Ambu.

Primates on the ground may indicate lack of trees
These images support their preliminary findings that these animals rely on forest corridors for moving between forest patches. "Interestingly, we captured a lot of pictures of arboreal primates such as orangutans, proboscis monkeys and langurs (including the very rare Hose's langur) on the ground. It probably demonstrates that there is a lack of tree connection," explained Dr Benoit Goossens, Director of DGFC.

Read on:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/wildlife-borneo.html