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Up close to the wild side

We have all seen nature movies and docos - and been in awe not only of the animals and creatures themselves but also the techniques employed to film them.

Photographing animals in the wild has been taken to a new level.....

"They are the hidden family portraits of Earth’s most remote jungles finally revealed: A touching snapshot of an endangered female mountain gorilla carrying an infant on her back. A giant anteater sticking its enormous snout practically in your face. Soulful eyes of a curious chimpanzee, a speedy jaguar and a rare tapir staring back at you.

Researchers are getting an unusual peek into key tropical spots with 420 hidden automatic cameras snapping candid photos of the truly wild. The first of almost 52,000 pictures were released Monday by Conservation International, a group that promotes wildlife protection, and they are wowing some experienced wildlife biologists.

The cameras snapped away during a month of the dry season, starting in 2008, in seven different countries and will continue to take candids in future years.

“These kind of captured them doing what they’re doing, being themselves,” said study lead author Jorge Ahumada, technical director of the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network.

What’s key is that there were no people involved. The cameras were hidden with camouflage and don’t have a visible flash. They are heat-sensitive so when something warm is nearby, the camera snaps a picture. The cameras were positioned to study mammals, but also got large birds, lizards and something else: human poachers, guns in hand."


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