In Italy there are thousands of enthusiasts and scholars who use camera traps. Here are the secrets: “Never in front of the dens and beware of the lights”
They are the only traps that animals also like. The name does not do justice to their true function, which is certainly not to capture fauna. I’m camera traps, in reality photographic devices positioned in strategic places of passage of mammals and wild birds to “capture” their images without causing damage to the environment and to the animals themselves.
The groups
The groups of camera traps (not a beautiful word, but that is what they call each other) are also widespread in Italy. “We are thousands, with the advent of digital the costs for the purchase of a camera trap have been reduced to 25-30 euros, with remote control, motion and heat sensors, possibility of being warned of the activation of the device directly on your mobile phone and to be able to see the animal live “, explains Duccio Berzi, wildlife conservation expert, creator of one of the first artisanal camera traps in Italy and president of the Canis Lupus Onlus Association, which with the Natural History Museum of Grosseto has launched the national nature camera trapping competition, of which the fourth edition has just ended.
The fototrappole
Camera traps have been used for years by scholars, biologists, ethologists and environmentalists to document the presence and hidden life of animals in remote and difficult to access places. Stunning are the images, the first in black and white, which over the years have given us back the camera traps positioned in the Amazon or in the African jungles. But they were professional devices that cost thousands of euros and that required careful and constant maintenance. Now, however, thanks to advances in technology, decent equipment is available at low cost, more or less the size of a mobile phone, which also allows nature photography enthusiasts to be able to have close-up images of animals without having to spend days (and nights). with telephoto lenses camouflaged in uncomfortable stalking to immortalize passing animals. “It is a passion that began by taking walks to observe animals in the National Park of the Casentinesi Forests, on the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines,” says Giacomo Cellini, who by profession is a web marketing specialist, but who became so passionate about opening a website (Fototrappolaggionaturalistico.it) that produces advice and tips for those approaching this hobby, a page that has been stored on the computers of all camera traps, full of stories of nature and photos. Even if you try to be as less invasive as possible, isn’t there a risk that camera traps will still cause significant disturbance to the animals? “Ethics is a central concept for every camera trap, both professional and amateur,” Bezzi clarifies, articulating the words well. “Competition must be avoided to film animals in curious positions and attitudes. Therefore the camera traps must not emit noises or flashes, they must never be placed in front of nests or burrows, during reproductive or lactating periods, you must never use food to attract animals in front of the camera, you must not change the environment or the territory to leave more free field for photo or video shooting. You must not cause any disturbance and you must be attentive to the lighting ». Many camera traps are also active in the dark thanks to the use of infrared, to which the eyes of some animals are sensitive. “In this case, the annoyance for animals is modest,” explains Cellini. “Animals are much more sensitive to our smells, which we leave when we place the tools or go to replace the batteries or recover memory cards with photos taken even over the course of months”. In Italy, camera traps have made it possible to document the return of the beaver after 500 years of absence, the arrival of the golden jackal from the Balkans, the movements of bears and wolves, the life of the elusive wild cat. In Italy there is no legislation on camera trapping. If carried out in parks and protected areas, the forest police must be warned, in private land the permission of the owner is required. “One thing must always be clear,” concludes Cellini. “We are in the house of the animals, we are just guests.”
July 21, 2021 (change July 21, 2021 | 23:38)
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