Behind the Scenes with
Movement of wildlife is a critical milestone for validating our work, demonstrating the species are repopulating diminished forests, increasing genetic diversity, and improving resilience.
As a result, we installed a network of camera traps throughout our wildlife corridor to record the species moving through on a 24/7 basis. This surveillance network collects camera trap videos and photos. Movement and body heat trigger the camera traps to record both photos and videos, day and night.
Here we share unprecedented views of wildlife collected throughout our habitat corridors. While you may never venture to these remote forests, you can still experience their wonder.
Elephants in Sumatra
It's great to seeing elephants moving through our corridor! Within the Leuser Ecosystem, the lowland forests are among the most important habitats for the last of the Sumatran elephants.
Tayras in Colombia
We were lucky to capture a rare video of a Tayra one in our camera trap in Colombia's Western Andes. The Tayra usually travels alone, but has sometimes been seen in small groups of 3-4.
Anteaters in Brazil
When it comes to camera trap videos, this one is of an anteater in Brazil is hard to beat! Lesser anteaters are most active at night and our 24/7 corridor surveillance program was there to capture the nocturnal action.
We are very lucky to work with a talented team of Duke University students to support our camera trap program.
Together, we’ve set camera traps along game trails in all of the forests in which we work.
They’ve recorded thousands of hours of video that capture unique views of the wildlife we are working to save.
Sometimes, we hike for hours, with camera trap strapped around our waists, through mud that sucks off our boots or water that washes into them. We struggle through vines entangling our legs. Often, we ascend steep hills on our hands and knees, as insects buzz around us, and snakes lurk on the trails. It’s frequently raining in the tropics and many times we are drenched. However, the work is important for biodiversity and for the health of our planet, and we miss it when we are home, longing for the buzz of the forest.
Movement and body heat trigger the camera traps to record both photos and videos, day and night.
We compare the species on our camera trap videos with baseline metrics of mammal and bird species in the protected areas that should disperse through the corridor over time. We then evaluate project effectiveness based on the diversity of species moving through the corridor over time.
At other times, the curiosity of the species we monitor thwarts us in unexpected ways.
A great short film by two Duke students highlights some of these unexpected challenges. The film features Jacob Levine, who helped establish and manage our monitoring program in Sumatra. The film’s creator, James Robinson, a talented young documentary film student at Duke University helped tell the story. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did.