GVI.2015.08  

 

Monthly  Achievement  Report  Jalova,  August  2015  

Professional  photography  and  the  use  of  custom  camera  traps.  

Summary:  In  2012  GVI  entered  into  partnership  with  ‘Panthera  Costa  Rica’  and  independent  researcher  Stephanny  Arroyo-­‐Arce  to  further  develop  its  existing  ‘Jaguar  Project’.  Started  in  2005  to  monitor  the  jaguars  of  Tortuguero  National  Park  and  their  predator-­‐prey  interaction  with  marine  turtles,  this  project  has  documented  several  unique  behaviour  previously  unrecorded  for  this  species.  As  a  result  of  this  collaboration  the  project  has  generated  four  scientific  papers,  as  well  as  a  short  communication  documenting  the  nature  and  ecology  of  these  unique  interactions.  As  awareness  of  the  significance  of  the  project  grows  within  the  scientific  community,  Panthera  –  the  world’s  largest  specialist  wildcat  conservation  organisation  –  dispatched  on  assignment  one  of  their  professional  field  photographers  Sebastian  Kennerknecht  to  document  these  animals.  Using  specialised  camera-­‐trapping  systems  designed  to  capture  high-­‐resolution  images  Sebastian  spent  two  weeks  at  GVI’s  Jalova  Research  Station  working  with  staff  and  representatives  of  ‘Conservación  del  Jaguar  en  el  Noreste  Caribeño  de  Costa  Rica’  the  project  founded  by  Stephanny  Arroyo-­‐Arce  and  past  GVI  Jaguar  Project  Manager,  Ian  Thomson.  

Objectives  To  install  custom  camera  traps  on  sites  of  predation  events  to  document  the  jaguar  population  of  Tortuguero  feeding  activities  on  species  of  marine  turtle.  

Report  Camera  trapping  is  an  invaluable  tool  available  to  scientist  and  the  general  public  allowing  them  to  document  species  without  the  need  to  capture  animals,  or  disturb  them  through  direct  observation.  When  conducted  correctly,  this  method  of  observation  can  be  considered  one  of  the  least  invasive,  providing  incredibly  accurate  data  that  can  be  reviewed  and  interpreted  multiple  times.  Today’s  modern  camera  traps  are  remotely  activated  cameras,  based  around  passive  infrared  (PIR)  system  similar  to  those  used  in  home  security.  Able  to  take  pictures  as  well  as  high  definition  videos,  both  day  and  night,  this  is  a  technology  that  is  constantly  developing  and  the  camera  traps  of  just  a  few  years  ago  look  almost  archaic  compared  to  today’s  latest  models.  Due  to  the  nature  of  their  use  (remote  locations,  exposed  to  extremities  of  weather),  the  majority  of  camera  traps  use  technology  very  similar  to  that  found  in  the  camera  of  a  smart  phone  or  your  average  SLR  camera  to  minimise  weight,  size  and  cost.  While  images  generated  by  these  devices  are  perfectly  acceptable  for  species/individual  identification  and  the  formation  of  databases  to  support  scientific  research,  the  quality  of  the  image  is  not  considered  ‘high  resolution’,  especially  at  night  when  the  images  or  video  are  taken  using  infrared,  which  appears  in  black  and  white.  Professional  photographers  using  camera  traps  develop  their  own  individual  systems  and  will  take  an  existing  DSLR  and  customise  it  with  an  active  infrared  system  (AIR)  working  in  conjunction  with  white  flashes  to  provide  ‘high  resolution’  colour  images  both  day  and  night.  The  cost  of  these  systems  can  run  into  several  thousands  of  dollars,  precluding  them  from  everyday  use  by  most  of  the  scientific  community  and  general  public  when  compared  to  a  standard  system  that  generally  cost  less  than  two  hundred  dollars.    

   

GVI.2015.08  

During  Sebastian’s  visit,  he  brought  three  of  these  systems  to  Jalova,  and  over  the  course  of  his  two  week  stay  installed  them  on  two  trail  locations  as  well  as  five  instances  of  turtle  predation  by  jaguars.  We  are  happy  to  announce  that  with  the  support  of  GVI  and  ‘Conservación  del  Jaguar  en  el  Noreste  Caribeño  de  Costa  Rica’  he  was  able  to  fulfil  his  assignment  for  Panthera  and  captured  several  striking  images  of  this  cryptic  species  before  returning  to  the  United  States.  We  wish  Sebastian  all  the  best  and  recommend  you  check  out  his  web  site  ‘Pumapix.com’  to  see  all  the  excellent  work  he  has  done  to  promote  wildcat  conservations  (also  the  amazing  pictures  he  has)  and  look  forward  to  Panthera  publishing  the  images  in  the  future.  

Ian  Thomson,  Project  Manager,  Conservacion  del  Jaguar  en  el  Noreste  Caribeno  de  Costa  Rica