Would you 'buy' a Trail Camera in a Rainforest Jungle?
Anteater on a Trail Cam
Your Virtual Jungle
If you had the opportunity to place a hidden motion activated camera in a rainforest jungle would you do it. I cannot think of a better way to interest and engage family members in animal habits. Trail cameras or camera traps have been used the world over in multiple conservation projects. It is a non invasive way to learn what is in an area as well as estimate population numbers of both rare and common animals.
How Do Camera Traps Work?
The first important step in setting up a camera trap, is to locate an area where animals are known live. How do you find that? A good outdoors-man can look for animal paths in fields or woods. Watering holes are also good indicators of where wildlife can be found especially if tracks are present.
Many people use feeding stations as an easy introduction into the use of camera traps. We were very successful when testing one of our first cameras. We pointed it at the outside feed bowl for our cats. After one night, we were amazed at all the animals that showed up. Our cats were expected, but there were cats and kittens that we had never seen before. We even had some wildlife from the neighborhood show up. Two racoons and a possum were caught in the camera trap. This was very interesting for one night's activity.
Amazing Video
We found this amazing video of some camera traps at work in the Jungle of Costa Rica. It tells the tale of 2 failing cameras encounter with a reclusive wild cat. The cameras are far from perfect, but eventually the mystery of the Ocelot is revealed.
The Ocelot Tale
Get a Camera for your Family
We found this interesting project from the maker of the above video. For as little as $8 you can contribute to the Ocho Verde Camera Trap Project, so you and your family can follow along as they cameras reveal the secrets of the secluded rainforest jungle.
- Monkeys, Pacas, Tigrillos. Oh My! | Indiegogo
A Rainforest Camera Trap project to identify what lives on the Ocho Verde reserve. The results will help us move forward with our conservation efforts.
The Perks
There are different levels of donations available. The one that specifically interests me is the $200 Camera Award. I can virtually 'buy' a camera and get to see exactly what animals are seen/captured by the camera.
It is a very cool idea.