Poachers Caught in a Trap.......A Camera Trap

One thing we've found when surfing the media for IP camera surveillance systems in the news is that you never know where in the world a story will transport you. This week we found ourselves in Malawi at the Wildlife Institute where, according to Earthwatch Institute, two animal poachers were caught in a trap.This wasn't the type of trap you would expect, it was a camera trap.
Majete


Researchers who work at the Animals of Malawi in the Majete Reserve Expedition had placed remote digital cameras, equipped with motion detectors to snap and save photos of anything that moved in their fields of sight. They dubbed them camera traps. The cameras kept watch 24 hours a day allowing team members to observe resident animals in their surroundings without frightening them away.They turned out to be extremely effective traps, amassing over 40,000 photographs!

One day, sorting through photos revealed the presence of an unexpected species - two members of the genus, homo sapiens! Camera set up opposite a watering hole in the far northwestern reaches of the preserve had caught two men who weren't wearing park service uniforms and were carrying weapons. They appeared to be hunting or possibly checking illegal snare traps they might have set. At any rate, since they had no legitimate business in the park, the research team sent the photos to African Parks, the agency that manages the reserve.

While the park service circulated the photos around the villages in the vicinity of the park, the researchers began to worry about an unwanted side effect. Now that the presence of so many expensive cameras was becoming public knowledge, might they the cams be stolen. Fighting fire with fire, they installed additional cameras to cover the entire park.

Most likely, just the knowledge that the area was camera trapped scared off any would-be poachers, for no more unauthorized humans were observed. However the additional cameras turned out to be well worth the expense for, lo and behold, they turned out to be virtual census takers, revealing  valuable information regarding the wildlife population.

 For one thing, more bush pigs lived on the preserve than previously thought.

And as for spotted hyenas, while the researchers had been going on the premise that eight or so roamed Majete, more than thirty appeared in various shots, and thanks to the cameras 'resolutions, could be differentiated by their markings.

Also "caught" were two species, previously not thought to be living there, the serval and the caracal, two feline-type predators.

Since a vital part of maintaining a preserve like Majete, is managing the animal population, this new information arrived just in time. The management had been looking at adding to the lion population, but, thanks to the cameras, it was becoming apparent that  the predator/prey balance was different than they'd thought. Thus the plan was put on hold so they could further study the hyena population.


Looking at the evidence it appeared  that, in contrast to hyenas' usual role as scavengers, the Majete hyenas appeared to be hunters.

As for the poachers, the circulated photos brought forth a villager who recognized them. The police were called in arrest the two suspects but could not find the firearms, nor would the two reveal where they'd hidden them. That left the photographs as the only evidence to go on. Fortunately the high resolution images was sufficient to win a double conviction

•  illegally entering a protected area,
•  illegally carrying a weapon into a protected area. 

Given a choice of a fine of 20,000 Malawi Kracha or eight months is prison, the convicted men chose to pay the fine, the equivalent of 50 American dollars.

Members of Animals of Malawi in the Majete Reserve Expedition were disappointed by the paltry punishment but hope the incident discourages any future poaching attempts by publicizing the presence of   the camera traps. They also look at the experience as  having assisted then in that they now have the additional cameras to aid in their primary mission - understanding the animals of Majete.

We can't help but imagine, given the effective results attained by the digital cameras, how much better IP  cameras might serve them in studying wildlife With network connectivity, staff members might view the footage from their computers or mobile devices, rather than having to spend time that could be spent in other pursuits,  sifting  through photographs. And when frame rate is considered, IP cameras would undoubtedly capture much that still photos miss.

Kintronics has wide experience in assisting agencies and individuals  interested in observing wild life. We've been instrumental in installing eagle cameras in Idaho as well as hawk cams in New York's Washington Square. If you need help in selecting an IP security camera for any purpose, call 914-944-3425 to speak to a Kintronics sales engineer or fill out an information request form.