Aside from being a powerful tool for tracking wildlife populations and monitoring rehabilitation efforts, trail cameras can also capture stunning and rare images of animals in their native habitats.
Such was the case recently when trail cameras in England caught sight of a mammal critically endangered in the area.
Measuring in at about the size of a household cat, pine martens are known for their brown fur, light yellow markings around the neck, and long bushy tails. Though they disappeared from England during the 20th century, pine martens have been making a recent comeback thanks to reintroduction programs and conservation efforts, according to Swanage News.
Volunteers identified a pine marten while reviewing footage from trail cameras in the coastal village of Studland, England. Perhaps most surprisingly, no active reintroduction projects had taken place in that area, meaning the pine marten likely had travelled on its own from an inland forest some distance away.
Together with wildlife experts, local volunteers like those who spotted the pine marten are said to have devoted more than 6,000 hours to surveying wildlife this year alone.
"It is a privilege to work with these dedicated volunteers who care deeply about wildlife," said Michelle Brown, an ecologist for the National Trust, per Swanage News.
Reintroduction and conservation programs, such as those involving the pine marten, help preserve and restore essential biodiversity. Maintaining the presence of native plants and animals helps protect against invasive species, which can severely damage local ecosystems and potentially affect food supplies and industries such as tourism.
Around the world, trail cameras have played an important role in conservation efforts.
For example, in Australia, trail cameras captured images of young wombats in a region from which they had all but vanished.
Similarly, in Indonesia, trail cameras set up to track local leopards captured images of a rare white-faced partridge, a species not seen in the region for decades.
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