Baiting/Luring Improves Detection Probability and Species Identification-A Case Study of Mustelids with Camera Traps

Area of Science:

• Wildlife biology
• Ecological monitoring
• Camera trap methodology

Background:

• Motion-triggered trail cameras (camera traps) are vital for wildlife research, aiding species inventories and activity estimations.
• However, camera traps can miss detections due to animal speed, size, or distance.
• Attractants are used to enhance detection probability and image quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of two common attractants: tuna bait and mustelid scent lures.
• To compare their impact on animal detection and image capture rates against control sites.

Main Methods:

• A before-after control group design with a baseline was employed.
• Two attractants (tuna, mustelid mix) were tested against conventional camera traps.
• Detection probability and image count per visit were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Both tuna bait and mustelid scent lures significantly increased the probability of detecting target species.
• Tuna bait resulted in an average of 7.25 times more images per visit compared to controls.
• Mustelid scent lures yielded an average of 18.7 times more images per visit than controls.

Conclusions:

• Attractants demonstrably enhance the efficacy of camera traps for wildlife research.
• Scent lures, particularly mustelid mixes, show a substantial increase in image capture efficiency.
• These findings support the use of attractants to improve data collection in ecological studies.