"Sumatran tigers are critically endangered, with as few as 400 left in the wild," said Dr. Sybille Klenzendorf, lead scientist for WWF's tiger program. "We're racing to find out as much about them and where they live as we can, before more of their natural habitat is converted to commercial plantations growing pulp wood and palm oil trees."
This is the first time WWF has used camera traps to study tigers in Indonesia. In July 2004, field staff began handing out questionnaires to find out if local people had seen any tigers. Scientists then conducted a track survey, in which they attempted to find evidence of the animals in a specific area. This information was used to determine where to set up camera traps, armed with infrared sensors triggered by movement.
WWF put 30 camera traps in the forests -- one per tiger home range (about 40 square miles) -- and checks them every 3-4 weeks. Because the cameras have been placed in remote locations, it takes at least a day to hike to each (the team can check all 30 within a month). Cameras must be moved occasionally because the flash often alerts animals to their presence, causing those animals to avoid the area in the future.
Due to the moist, hot climate of Sumatran forests, the cameras often malfunction, so scientists will be
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Source:World Wildlife Fund