‘Bathroom’ Trail Cams Capture Secretive Lives of Red Pandas

A scientific research in The Wildlife Society Bulletin explains how researchers can use path cams to check wild purple pandas—“elusive and mysterious” mammals that reside in Asia’s Himalayan forests. The research, referred to as “Use of digicam traps to file wild purple panda exercise in jap Nepal,” explains how scientists had been capable of monitor purple pandas utilizing 19 pairs of path cameras over the course of a couple of month. Cameras in timber had been eight occasions simpler at capturing these arboreal mammals than cameras at floor stage.

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“Habits of untamed purple panda (Ailurus fulgens) just isn’t properly‐studied, as it’s tough to find and monitor people,” researchers wrote within the research. “Earlier research of purple panda habits have concerned direct observations, discovering fecal scats, and GPS collar deployment. We assessed the worth of utilizing digicam traps to observe wild purple panda, evaluating the utility of inserting cameras on the bottom or in timber.”

The Wildlife Society reports that though path cams in timber had been only, this does current challenges. For example, it’s bodily tough to climb into the tree canopies. Additionally, leaves can falsely set off the cameras’ movement sensors, creating extra work for researchers within the lab.

In the long run, although, the additional work paid off. Apparently, probably the greatest locations to seize red-panda habits ended up being the spots the place they go to the toilet.

“The perfect locations to file had been principally toilet cams,” wrote The Wildlife Society in its protection of the research. “Purple pandas will typically return to the identical latrine websites to defecate, often on large oak timber subsequent to the bamboo they feed on.”

Learn the research about how scientists can use path cams to check purple pandas here.