Webcams and images are also great tools to increase the number of people collecting data used for conservation programs. Field researchers and citizen scientists can snap a photo of animal behaviors and interactions, count a number of species, or complete an ethogram from home. This collected data becomes another artifact scientists have to study.
For example, check out this image snapped by a user of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology:
This image of a heron feeding her chicks was captured by a user viewing a Cornell Lab webcam. Not only is this information available for researchers, there are regular citizens are invested in the work this organization is doing.
You can see more about how Webcams are used to engage and educate communities on my "Community Engagement" page.
What's the problem with capturing animals if they'll soon be released again?
The use of webcams and camera traps is less stressful and potentially harmful for both wildlife and researchers. In the past, and even currently, the capture and release of wild animals has been used a lot, and most often requires the animal to be captured more than once.
Although capturing and subduing an animal allows for researchers to collect data about the animals, tag them, or affix a satellite GPS system that can lead to a better understanding of animal movements and behaviors, the practice is disruptive to animals. Studies have reported physical damage, a disruption to natural migrations and foraging behaviors, an increased vulnerability to predation, and a decrease in successful breeding behaviors (Jewel 2013). A heightened stress level or change in any of these disruptions could lead to death of the animal, which is something that none of us want to see.
Literature Cited:
Jewell, Z. (2013). Effect of Monitoring Technique on Quality of Conservation Science. Conservation Biology, 27(3), 501-508.
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