Camera Traps in Animal Ecology: Methods and Analyses

286 Pages·2011·3.68 MB·English

by  Allan F. O’Connell

Camera Traps in Animal Ecology
d
Allan F. O’Connell James D. Nichols
●
K. Ullas Karanth
Editors
Camera Traps in Animal
Ecology
Methods and Analyses
Editors
Allan F. O’Connell, Ph.D. James D. Nichols, Ph.D.
Research Wildlife Biologist Senior Scientist
U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center– Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Beltsville Lab 12100 Beech Forest Road
10300 Baltimore Avenue Laurel, Maryland 20708
Beltsville, Maryland 20705 USA
USA [email protected]
[email protected]
K. Ullas Karanth, Ph.D.
Senior Conservation Scientist
Wildlife Conservation Society
Centre for Wildlife Studies
26-2, Aga Abbas Ali Road (Apt: 403)
Bangalore, Karnataka 560042
India
[email protected]
Use of trade, firm, or product names is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the
U.S. government.
ISBN 978-4-431-99494-7 e-ISBN 978-4-431-99495-4
DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-99495-4
Springer Tokyo Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009942777
© Springer 2011
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is
concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting,
reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not
imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective
laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Printed on acid-free paper
Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Preface
This book deals with equipment known as “camera traps,” which are used to detect
wild animals. The inspiration for this book was the 9th International Mammal
Congress held in Sapporo, Japan, in August 2005. At that time, camera traps had
become sufficiently popular as a field sampling technique to warrant a separate
symposium in the Congress. The ten presentations given in Sapporo that focused
on camera traps encompassed a variety of mammal species, ranging from bats to
large carnivores, and included surveys and studies from various countries and habi-
tats. The analytical approaches that were used to make inferences about the target
populations were somewhat limited, however, and that sparked an interest in the
production of this volume, which focuses primarily on (1) the sampling method-
ologies of using camera traps and (2) the analytical techniques best suited to make
sound inferences from photographic evidence.
Over the last two decades, the use of various noninvasive techniques for the
sampling of animal populations has increased significantly. Technological advances
have allowed practitioners to sample and monitor animal populations without ever
physically capturing or handling animals, and to feel confident that the equipment
will operate acceptably under a variety of environmental conditions. A sensitivity
to animal welfare, reduction of time, effort, and expenses in the collection of scien-
tific data, and the basic motivation to be more efficient have increased our interest
in noninvasive sampling methodologies. Noninvasive sampling methods are par-
ticularly well suited to animals that are elusive, often occur at low densities, and are
difficult to capture or detect. Arguably, the most popular noninvasive sampling
technique among those reviewed by Long et al. (2008) is remote photography using
camera traps (Kays and Slauson 2008). In short, camera traps are a system or device
with a trigger or sensor that activates a camera to take a photograph when an animal
is present. The resulting image of occurrence is then used as a piece of scientific
information, generating a permanent record of the event. Camera traps are rela-
tively easy to use, and much of their popularity stems from their ability to sample
animals remotely with no requirement for humans to manually operate the equip-
ment (except for occasional equipment checks and to retrieve images or film). The
cost of purchasing camera traps is becoming more reasonable all the time as tech-
nology improves and the number of manufacturers continues to increase.
v
vi Preface
More than a decade has passed since the publication of the landmark papers by
Karanth (Karanth 1995; Karanth and Nichols 1998) that discussed estimation of
tiger abundance and density from camera trap data. On the heels of that work,
Karanth et al. (2004) explored the potential application of camera traps as scientific
tools and addressed questions such as why sample, what to sample, and how to
sample rare or elusive animals in an inferential framework. Karanth et al. (2006)
later demonstrated how camera trap data can also be used to assess changes in vital
rates for tigers over long periods of time. We viewed it as a sign of encouragement
for this technique when Karanth et al. (2004), among others in the volume by
Thompson (2004), received a favorable review even in a journal devoted to surveys
of crypto-zoological creatures such as Bigfoot (Arment 2005)!
Given the notable increase in the scientific use of camera traps over the past
several years, we believed that the time was right for a thorough review that details
the various aspects of camera trapping, focusing on the estimation techniques that
are currently available for analyzing the scientific information (i.e., photographs)
and for making strong inferences. Despite the widespread use of camera traps,
many of the techniques best suited for data analysis and statistical inference remain
somewhat of an enigma to many practitioners. All too often, the concepts underly-
ing the approaches to inference are not presented adequately or are scattered
throughout the scientific literature. In this volume, we provide the conceptual
frameworks underlying the inference methods themselves, and the manner in which
these methods can contribute to the larger endeavors of science and management.
As we went to press, the most recent Mammal Congress (10th) in Mendoza,
Argentina, had just passed into our rearview mirror, having hosted another sympo-
sium on the use of camera traps in animal ecology. Many of the contributing
authors from this volume participated in the symposium, providing a thorough
review of what is possible when the modern technology of camera trapping is allied
with sound estimation techniques. Thus, it is our hope that this volume will serve
as a solid foundation for designing studies and interpreting the data, and also as a
flexible springboard for future theoretical and empirical development.
Beltsville, Maryland, USA Allan O’Connell
Laurel, Maryland, USA Jim Nichols
Bangalore, India Ullas Karanth
Literature Cited
Arment, C. 2005. Sampling rare or elusive species: concepts, designs, and techniques for estimat-
ing population parameters (Book review). North American Biofortean Review 7:3–4
Karanth, K. U. 1995. Estimating tiger Panthera tigris populations from camera trap data using
capture–recapture models. Biological Conservation 71:333–338
Karanth, K. U. and J. D. Nichols. 1998. Estimation of tiger densities in India using photographic
captures and recaptures. Ecology 79:2852–2862
Preface vii
Karanth, K. U., J. D. Nichols, and N. S. Kumar. 2004. Photographic sampling of elusive mammals
in tropical forests. Pages 229–247 in W. L. Thompson, editor. Sampling rare or elusive species.
Island Press, Washington, DC
Karanth, K. U., J. D. Nichols, N. S. Kumar, and J. E. Hines. 2006. Assessing tiger population
dynamics using photographic capture recapture sampling. Ecology 87:2925–2937
Kays, R. W. and K. M. Slauson. 2008. Remote cameras. Pages 110–140 in R. A. Long, P. MacKay,
W. J. Zielinski, and J. C. Ray, editors. Noninvasive survey methods for carnivores. Island
Press, Washington, DC
Long, R. A., P. MacKay, W. J. Zielinski, and J. Ray, editors. 2008. Noninvasive survey methods
for carnivores. Island Press, Washington, DC
Thompson, W. L. 2004. Sampling rare or elusive species: concepts, designs, and techniques for
estimating population parameters. Island Press, Washington, DC
d
Acknowledgments
Thanks first go to the folks at Springer Japan who offered symposium organizers in
Sapporo an opportunity to publish technical volumes based on symposium topics.
We are especially grateful to Aiko Hiraguchi, Kaoru Hashimoto, Motoko Takeda,
and Dharmendra Sundardevadoss at Springer for their good nature, open-minded-
ness, and most of all, their patience in capably handling all the various submissions,
resubmissions, and what seemed like an endless number of late-night (or morning,
depending on the part of the world) e-mails. We wish also to acknowledge Dr.
James Sanderson, who at the time of the Sapporo mammal meetings and for some
time before, was working for Conservation International and running camera traps
in remote forests around the world (and as far as we know, he still is). Jim recog-
nized that the timing was right to organize and convene a symposium on camera
trapping. He first circulated this book offer to participants in the symposium, and
he deserves credit for moving this effort off the starting blocks.
The contributors to this volume represent a diverse group of individuals working
in literally every corner of the globe; to their credit, they were tolerant and under-
standing throughout this entire process. That certainly made our jobs easier and, in the
end, a rewarding experience. Thanks also to Andrew Gilbert, Arjun Gopalaswamy,
Michael Haramis, Tim Jones, Roland Kays, Fred Servello, David Shindle, Ted
Simons, Graham Smith, Mathias Tobler, Nimish Vyas, and Arielle Waldstein for
their timely and insightful reviews.
Finally, a large measure of debt and gratitude must also go to all those field biolo-
gists and practitioners who labor tirelessly operating camera traps. These individuals
often work in some of the world’s harshest environments and under what can only be
described as the most taxing conditions. Their work has done much to further protec-
tion and conservation of the world’s animal species, some of which are dangerously
close to extinction. Their efforts, dedication, and commitment have not gone unno-
ticed, and we hope that this volume heightens the realization that work with camera
traps has important implications for the future of wildlife conservation.
AOC would like to acknowledge the support of the U.S. Geological Survey and
the National Park Service’s Inventory and Monitoring Program. To Andrew Gilbert
and Neil Talancy, who set this journey in motion as a result of their willingness to
learn about camera traps, a most gracious “thank you”.
ix