https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Camera Traps: A Key Conduit To Wildlife Conservation

Camera traps have revolutionised wildlife conservation. They help collect photographic evidence necessary for species conservation and analysis. IFS SP Yadav shares details about the art of camera trapping
Indian Masterminds Stories

Camera trapping is the method that comes to mind when discussing estimating wild animal densities or identifying specific animals from a population of a species that has body patterns unique to each individual (for example, tiger, leopard, hyena, snow leopard, clouded leopard, or other striped or spotted small cats).

Apart from being more reliable than others, it also has the advantage of being adopted across large expanses.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) used camera traps to examine an impressively large forest area of approximately 6,41,449 sqkm scattered over 20 Indian states in its 2022 All India Tiger Census.

Senior IFS officer SP Yadav, Member Secretary, NTCA, exclusively spoke to Indian Masterminds and explained more about the art of camera trapping when wildlife conservation is involved.

CAMERA TRAPS

An infrared beam (invisible to animals) is placed at a height of about 45 cm, and cameras are mounted on posts like tree trunks or wooden poles around 3.5 – 4 m on either side of a probable animal route.

As tigers, leopards, and hyenas mark their territories camera traps are strategically placed along these routes to maximise photo capture.

Scats, scratches, footprints, claw markings, and smell deposits are used to determine camera trap positions. When an animal breaks the infrared beam, the circuit activates the camera and takes a photo.

“As a part of the All-India Tiger Estimation, the entire potential tiger habitat is divided into 2 sqkm grids. A pair of camera traps, opposite to each other, are installed in each grid, based on carnivore sign survey and in this way, the photograph of tigers are recorded from both flanks,” shared the officer.

INSTALLATION PROCESS

Cameras are installed in the forest by trained Wildlife Biologists or Forest Guards. They move in groups so that their noises keep the predator at bay and prevent attacks. Direct encounters are uncommon.

“The group is also equipped with firearms and if the need be they scare away the tigers by firing in the air,” Mr. Yadav told Indian Masterminds.

RETRIEVING EVIDENCE

The camera traps have memory sticks that are recovered weekly, depending on their capacity. The collected images are transferred and saved to the desktop for further analysis. Advanced camera traps that enable real-time monitoring are also available, however, due to power consumption, such cameras are unsuitable for large-scale surveillance.

“There are other technologies available for monitoring animals on a real-time basis like e-Surveillance,” he stated.

AVOIDING DUPLICATION

Because the pattern on both sides of the body changes, a system of two cameras, one on each side of the path, aids in distinguishing every individual. The date, time, and location of each photographic capture are recorded. 

Animals are identified from images by analysing stripe or spot patterns. Shapes, unique individual stripes, and the placements of numerous such stripes on individuals are compared to indisputably identify them.

USING AI

NTCA employs artificial intelligence to separate tiger photographs.

“Like our fingerprints, the stripe patterns on tigers are permanent and do not change with age. They are unique. Based on AI and other softwares & visual observations/comparisons, a unique number of tigers are identified,” he told Indian Masterminds.

Furthermore, using statistical models, tiger numbers are extrapolated from sampled areas to similar habitats based on “mark, capture, and recapture” analyses and herbivore sign survey results. The technique takes habitat quality into account, Mr. Yadav explains. 

The tiger counting methodology, which is based on two-fold sampling and the use of camera traps in statistical models, has been peer-reviewed and is worldwide acknowledged.

“Several softwares like Distance, Extract&Compare, AI etc. are used in the analysis,” he added.

Camera trapping operations almost always yield extremely valuable information regarding the presence and ecological function of other lesser-known, elusive species besides monitoring human activities such as poacher movement, firewood collection, and animal grazing. The Forest Department has made multiple arrests using this information.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Allahabad high court
Advocate Arun Kumar Appointed as Judge of Allahabad High Court After Nearly Two-Year Delay
bureaucracy news
Key Bureaucratic Appointments: IAS Sabyasachi Ghosh to Head Tribal Welfare (FAC), Telangana; IRS Sunil Kumar Sinha Appointed in GSTAT
CONCOR Logo Resized
CONCOR Strengthens Leadership with Appointment of Three IRTS Officers as Senior GMs (C&O) - Know Who They Are
Sanjiv Ghuratia
IAF Appoints Air Marshal Sanjiv Ghuratia, AVSM, VSM as New Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance - All You Need To Know
India US Yudh Abhyas
From Tariff Wars to Joint Drills: India-US Defence Ties Hold Strong as 450 Soldiers Begin Yudh Abhyas 2025 in Alaska’s Arctic Terrain
Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporat Anmol Sagar IAS Officer
IAS Anmol Sagar Orders BNCMC Reshuffle: 74 Long-Tenured Staff Transferred to Boost Accountability in Thane, Maharashtra
IFS Virendra Tiwari
Virendra Tiwari Appointed Chairperson of National Biodiversity Authority, Replaces C.A. Reddy - Know More About His Background
Sipan Kumar Garg
PSU Leadership Milestone: Sipan Kumar Garg Holds Finance Portfolio in Three Major Power Sector PSUs
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IPS Shikha Goel
Decoding Digital Dangers: Insights from IPS Shikha Goel on Cyber Crimes
IPS Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo
Managing Elections, Communal Tensions, and Public Safety – Meet IPS Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo | Video Interview
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-25 at 13.56
Operation Hunt: IPS Dr. Karanraj Vaghela’s Mission to Nab Valsad’s Most Wanted
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
Masahiro Hara
From Go Board to Global Use, How QR Codes Changed the World: IRAS Officer Ananth Rupanagudi Spotlights Masahiro Hara’s Vision
IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi shared a video on Masahiro Hara, the inventor of QR codes, highlighting...
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Allahabad high court
Advocate Arun Kumar Appointed as Judge of Allahabad High Court After Nearly Two-Year Delay
bureaucracy news
Key Bureaucratic Appointments: IAS Sabyasachi Ghosh to Head Tribal Welfare (FAC), Telangana; IRS Sunil Kumar Sinha Appointed in GSTAT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IPS Shikha Goel
IPS Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-25 at 13.56
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT