Camera traps continue to provide vital evidence and data for zoologists. A recent study in Tanzania by the conservation organization Panthera involved over 300 camera traps occupying an area the size of West Africa’s Cape Verde. The result was more than 150,000 images of the location’s diverse range of wildlife, providing valuable insight into the location’s ecosystem.
Such data has included photographs of servals with a rare morph coat pattern for the first time in Tanzania, as well as some of the first records of aardwolves, bat-eared foxes, and springhares in the country’s western region. The project has also provided evidence of dwindling lion populations in Ugalla and Luganzo-Tongwe Game Reserves.
I got to talk with lead scientist Paolo Strampelli about Panthera’s methods when distributing camera traps and collecting data...
How camera traps are used by conservationists
What type of camera traps do you use?
"We use PantheraCams. These cameras are developed in-house by Panthera and are custom-made to meet our specific wild cat monitoring needs and requirements."
How much research goes into the positioning of each trap?
"A lot! We first use satellite imagery to develop a grid design, which requires cameras to be placed within certain distances of each other to ensure the assumptions of the statistical models we apply to the data are met.
"We also identify a preliminary position for each camera. Once in the field, we then fine-scale this, selecting the exact tree the camera is placed on, and adapting the positioning of cameras based on additional information we acquire in the field.
"The objective is always to maximize pictures of wildlife, especially wild cats, so we try and 'think like a lion', and look at habitat features, movement pathways, game trails, and other characteristics of the area that can help us maximise captures."
How do you go about recovering the traps to collect the data?
"It's a lot of work! Our team spends about two weeks on deployment, and we then have a two-week 'check' halfway through the survey. After about three months, the team takes them down. It's a big effort, but worth it when we get to check the data and see all the amazing things we've captured!"
How reliable are the camera traps, left out in the elements?
"They are very resistant to heat, sunlight, humidity, and even freezing temperatures – although this is not something we have to deal with a lot in Tanzania! Our teams have built them to be robust and (almost) indestructible, although we do unfortunately lose some to elephants and spotted hyenas, who sometimes appear to have not gotten the memo!"
Why are camera traps such a useful tool for conservationists and scientists?
"In western Tanzania, camera traps are an invaluable tool for conservationists and scientists because they provide critical, evidence-based data to guide effective management strategies.
"These surveys allow Panthera and our government partners at TAWA and TAWIRI to monitor the population status and density of key species like lions and leopards, track threatened wildlife such as African wild dogs, and map wider mammal diversity and distributions.
"Beyond wildlife monitoring, the cameras capture vital evidence of human activities, helping conservationists and authorities understand the scope of threats and pinpoint activity hotspots to better protect the region."
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