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Making the most of by‐catch data: Assessing the feasibility of utilising non‐target camera trap data for occupancy modelling of a large felid
Author(s) -
Edwards Sarah,
Cooper Sue,
Uiseb Kenneth,
Hayward Matt,
Wachter Bettina,
Melzheimer Joerg
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/aje.12511
Subject(s) - occupancy , camera trap , leopard , panthera , geography , survey data collection , automatic identification and data capture , shapefile , count data , cartography , ecology , remote sensing , computer science , environmental science , statistics , habitat , biology , predation , mathematics , poisson distribution , metadata , speech recognition , operating system
Abstract Camera traps are an increasingly used tool in ecology, having the ability to capture large numbers of photographic records in short survey periods. For many surveys, the number of non‐target records outweighs those of focal species, making them a potentially rich and often under‐utilised data source. Occupancy analysis of non‐target data represents a potential way to optimise survey output, whilst increasing “return on investment.” This study assessed the feasibility of using non‐target data from a Hartmann's mountain zebra Equus zebra hartmannae survey in Gondwana Canyon Park, southern Namibia, for occupancy analysis on leopard Panthera pardus . Using a survey design with 15 camera traps at water sources, 26 leopard events were detected over 72 days. Model fit was adequate and produced a model‐averaged occupancy of 0.64 ( SE 0.36) and a detection probability of 0.24 ( SE 0.07). Whilst there was a lack of precision in the final occupancy estimate, the study provided valuable pilot data for future surveys. The results highlight the ability of camera traps to obtain information‐rich datasets, which, when properly archived, can be used for providing information on a number of ecological topics, ranging far beyond that which the traps were originally deployed for.