Condor Watch Talk

Camera trap attractant use

  • Canmore1919 by Canmore1919

    A significant number of camera trap pictures include mammals (coyotes, boars, bears & cougars/pumas). I understand the need to use attractants for the birds but are you concerned that use of attractants, such as dead calves, may create a dependency or habituate these mammals to eating calves? If animal behavioural problems occur, how do you mitigate mammal habituation? Can you use more "naturally sourced prey such as deer, rabbits etc acquired from road kills?
    By the way I never heard of crowd sourcing camera trap identification before ...absolutely brilliant use of resources...

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  • vjbakker by vjbakker scientist

    Because of the volume eaten, the release sites use whatever is available in large quantities. They use mostly donated stillborn dairy calves. Interesting question about habituation of large mammals. We will ask the release sites for their thoughts on this issue. Glad you appreciate the crowdsourcing approach. We are excited about it.

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