The Other Kind of Flock: How Animal Camera Traps are Supporting Wildlife Research

Melany McEntee uses camera traps to tackle a significant threat to hikers in and around Park City, Utah: aggressive moose.

When trail users reported several risky encounters with these unpredictable, 1000-pound animals, local trail groups asked her to help them understand the issue. She is using a network of motion-activated cameras posted near popular trails to document what might be causing the moose to become confrontational.

These aren’t Flock cameras — though they might appear similar at first glance — they are motion-activated cameras set to capture pictures of wildlife. Wildlife ecologists at USU want the public to understand the difference between the two kinds of devices.

Animal camera traps differ from Flock traffic-monitoring cameras in fundamental ways, said Julie Young, a wildlife ecologist in USU’s Department of Wildland Resources. They are mounted by researchers in specific locations to collect images of wildlife, and sometimes recreationists, for science and wildlife-management purposes.

Camera traps provide valuable science information, so USU researchers who rely on them work to be transparent to avoid misunderstanding and mistrust, Young said.

Animal camera traps use motion and infrared sensors to detect passing animals with photographs or video. Infrared illumination lets them capture images at night without disturbing wildlife. They are used by ecologists and land managers to count animals, track their movement, and observe their behavior.

If people are captured incidentally, or as part of the outdoor recreation research, researchers follow strict protocols to protect their privacy — the presence of humans is noted, but only as it applies to recreation, without personal information.

Camera traps are essential to ecological science, Young said, because when researchers get too close to animals, they may change the animal’s behavior, defeating the purpose of the observation.

Efforts toward transparency start on ground level. Many camera traps are labeled with contact information so that curious passersby can find out why they are there, who is collecting the data and how the information is used.

“We always have a sticker on our cameras with our contact information, so anyone who encounters a camera trap can find out why it’s there,” Young said.

McEntee uses the cameras to capture images of wildlife, and recreationists using the trails to understand how they are interacting with wildlife. The images are sent through a blurring protocol before she accesses them, and the original is deleted. The system used to analyze them is a “closed program,” so the blurred photos exist only on a local computer.

She uses software to help code the images — if a dog is present, for example, to note hiking group size, or to track other kinds of animals — and compares these factors with moose encounters.

Because McEntee's research involves images of recreationists, her study follows protocols established with USU's Institutional Review Board, which oversees research involving human participants for privacy, safety, and ethical considerations. The standard she uses to blur and delete any personal information is part of that protocol.

Another USU researcher, Richard Evans tracks where mule deer gather, when they move, and how many are in a given square mile of Utah’s backcountry. He is gathering information to slow the spread of a fatal illness specific to deer, elk, and moose — chronic wasting disease. When deer populations reach higher densities, the disease seems to spread more quickly, though it’s not yet clear how or why. Wildlife managers want to understand these factors and thresholds to protect Utah’s herds.

Other researchers at USU use camera traps to monitor large carnivores like bears and wolves. Rae Nickerson measures how stress levels of cattle change with different carnivore activity across grazing allotments in places like Montana, Washington, and Arizona. The cameras allow her to monitor predator and cattle behavior without disturbing the animals or constantly moving through the hundreds of miles grazing areas.

“Camera trap technology has revolutionized wildlife science,” said David Stoner, USU Extension wildlife specialist.

Researchers are able to observe even rare, shy, or nocturnal animals that humans rarely have the chance to see, to accurately count wildlife populations. In some cases they can even rediscover species thought to be extinct.

“The modern digital camera is helping us to understand and avoid conflicts, protect animals, and respond to management concerns faster and more efficiently than ever before,” he said.

If you see a wildlife camera trap in the backcountry, please don’t disturb it, Stoner said. These units are key to understanding how animals respond to each other and the world, though if you reach out for information, most wildlife ecologists are eager to share with the public the ways they use camera traps to benefit wildlife, information about specific research projects — and what they’ve learned about wildlife they're watching.