Camera Trap - Effects of Weather and The Environment

Effects of Weather and The Environment

Humidity has a highly negative effect on camera traps and can result in camera malfunction. This can be problematic since the malfunction is often not immediately discovered, so a large portion of research time can be lost. Often a researcher expecting the experiment to be complete will trek back to the site, only to discover far less data than expected – or even none at all.

There is also the possibility, if it is a motion activated camera, that any movement within the sensitivity range of the camera’s sensor will trigger a picture, so the camera might end up with numerous pictures of anything the wind moves, such as plants.

The best type of weather for it to work in is any place with low humidity and stable moderate temperatures.

As far as problems with camera traps, it cannot be overlooked that sometimes the subjects themselves negatively affect the research. One of the most common things is that animals unknowingly topple a camera or splatter it with mud or water ruining the film or lens.

One other method of animal tampering involves the animals themselves taking the cameras for their own uses. There are examples of some animals actually taking the cameras and snapping pictures of themselves.

An interesting side note is that locals in the area of a camera trap who sometimes use the same game trails as the animals to move through the forest can be caught on camera. This adds to the human dynamic of the research and can make camera’s a useful tool for anti-poaching or other law enforcement effort.

Read more about this topic:  Camera Trap

Famous quotes containing the words effects of, effects, weather and/or environment:

    Trade and commerce, if they were not made of India-rubber, would never manage to bounce over the obstacles which legislators are continually putting in their way; and, if one were to judge these men wholly by the effects of their actions and not partly by their intentions, they would deserve to be classed and punished with those mischievous persons who put obstructions on the railroads.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    Perspective, as its inventor remarked, is a beautiful thing. What horrors of damp huts, where human beings languish, may not become picturesque through aerial distance! What hymning of cancerous vices may we not languish over as sublimest art in the safe remoteness of a strange language and artificial phrase! Yet we keep a repugnance to rheumatism and other painful effects when presented in our personal experience.
    George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)

    Is it possible
    That any may find
    Within one heart so diverse mind,
    To change or turn as weather and wind?
    Is it possible?
    Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503?–1542)

    A positive learning climate in a school for young children is a composite of many things. It is an attitude that respects children. It is a place where children receive guidance and encouragement from the responsible adults around them. It is an environment where children can experiment and try out new ideas without fear of failure. It is an atmosphere that builds children’s self-confidence so they dare to take risks. It is an environment that nurtures a love of learning.
    Carol B. Hillman (20th century)