Frequently asked questions about Wildlife Monitoring

What is a trail camera? Trail cameras are sometimes called: outdoor cameras; camera traps; infrared cameras; surveillance cameras; IR cameras; motion-activated cameras. They are different from "IP" wireless cameras. Trail cameras are battery-operated, weatherproof, motion-activated and can take photos or video which is saved onto a memory card such as an SD card. Some trail cameras can send photos or other data wirelessly using a 3rd generation GSM or GPRS mobile phone or cell phone network. Some trail cameras *are* network enabled and remotely accessible through the internet. Trail cameras are used in fauna and wildlife monitoring contexts, both for data collection / surveys and hunting / feral animal control, as well as security and surveillance work such as theft prevention, trespass detection, or the detection of illegal activity such as rubbish dumping. Some trail cameras offer time lapse photography which can be used to monitor wildlife activities such as nesting, or human activities such as construction projects.