Abstract
Arboreal camera traps are becoming more commonly used for monitoring wildlife. Pangolins (Order: Pholidota) are a threatened group of mammals that are challenging to monitor across their range. In this study, we assessed the use of arboreal and ground camera traps for monitoring the three pangolin species native to West Africa in the Ziama Man and Biosphere Reserve, Guinea. We fit occupancy models to our data to examine the effect of factors related to camera height and tree height on detection probability. In addition, we evaluated the utility of deploying multiple cameras within the same tree. Our study showed that arboreal camera traps can successfully detect both arboreal pangolin species, with the highest detection in mid-canopy for white-bellied pangolin and mid-to high-canopy for black-bellied pangolins. In addition, our results suggest at least 4–6 cameras deployed on each tree to maximize the opportunity of detecting these species. We did not detect giant pangolins. Further studies are needed to continue improving detection of all three pangolins for monitoring and adaptive management of these heavily harvested and traded species.
Funding source: People’s Poste Code Lottery
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Sine Fidel Ilandouno, Gaston Touaro and Camara Ibrahima II (rangers, Centre Forestier de N’Zérékoré’s); and Rubén Bañuelos Bons (tree climbing trainer) who conducted the survey fieldwork successfully. We thank the following people who provided logistical assistance in the field for successful completion on the survey: Angeline Vale Bore (Office Manager, Fauna & Flora) and Gbaguema Grovogui (Chauffeur, Fauna & Flora). This research work was carried out in partnership with Centre Forestier de N’Zérékoré (NZerekore Forestry Centre), Guinea.
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Research ethics: Animal care was in accordance with the national laws.
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Author contributions: JFM, NE, KT, SK, AC, and MD conceived the ideas and designed methodology; MHS provided advice on camera trap deployment in the field; NE, KT, SK, AC, and MD collected the data; JFM analysed the data; JFM and MHS led the writing of the manuscript. All authors contributed critically to the drafts and gave final approval for publication.
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Competing interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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Research funding: This research was carried out with funding from the People’s Poste Code Lottery.
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Data availability: Data are available upon reasonable request.
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