野外相機捕捉野生動物
Have you ever wondered what wild animals do when no one is watching?
Scientists have been able to document the 「private」 moments of wildlife with leading edge technology.Low cost, dependable and small modern cameras amount to a big help.
Cameras placed in hard-to-reach places have captured images of everything from small desert cats called ocelotsto larger snow-loving felines called lynx in the northern Rocky Mountains.
Grant Harris is a government biologist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in Albuquerque, New Mexico.In his words, 「there』s no doubt,」 that these rural cameras are important tools to learn new information on wildlife.
Harris said some images help scientists see the effects of climate change.For example, the desert animal javelina and the tree-loving coatimundi have been caught on cameras north of their normal habitat.Harris said this could mean global warming is expanding their range northward.
Researchers with the Wyoming Migration Initiative, or WMI,are among those using rural cameras along with global positioning systems, or GPS.
They attach GPS devices to elk, mule deer and antelope in and around Yellowstone National Park.Then they can record their movements, or migrations.But WMI director Matthew Kauffman says as those devices are limited so is the amount of information they can gather from GPS.
You see one animal migrating, you don』t know if it』s migrating by itself,if it』s migrating with a calf, or if it』s migrating with 40 other animals, Kauffman said.
However cameras can be left in very rural areas for days, weeks or even months.They can provide information on how many animals are moving over a given period of time, he said.
Putting those cameras in place requires careful planning.
There』s this tension between subjectivity in where you put your camera and where it』s statistically sound, Harris said.
Sometimes, humans appear in the images."I』ve seen people moon cameras, and that』s always funny," he said.
Rural video can show details about animal behavior, such as the calls made by migrating mule deer.Also, some cameras live-stream animal life,showing everything from bison in Saskatchewan, Canada, to the underwater kelp forest off of California』s Channel Islands.
However, rural cameras have their problems too.Animals such as wolverines and bears sometimes attack them.Scientists do not know if the attacks are the result of anger or interest.
Also, the devices have become popular tools to help hunters look for animals.Some people argue that it is unfair to use the cameras that way.
Even with such problems, rural cameras are clearly an important scientific tool in researching wild animals.
I』m Phil Dierking.
Have you ever wondered what wild animals do when no one is watching?
你有沒有想過沒人的時候野生動物們會做什麼呢？
Scientists have been able to document the 「private」 moments of wildlife with leading edge technology.Low cost, dependable and small modern cameras amount to a big help.
科學家已經能夠用先進技術記錄野生動物的「私人」時刻。低成本，可靠外觀小巧的現代攝像頭給予了很大幫助。
Cameras placed in hard-to-reach places have captured images of everything from small desert cats called ocelots to larger snow-loving felines called lynx in the northern Rocky Mountains.
放置在難以抵達的地方的相機已經捕捉到很多圖像，從稱之為豹貓的小型沙漠貓到生活在洛基山脈北部雪域的較大型貓科動物猞猁。
Grant Harris is a government biologist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in Albuquerque, New Mexico.In his words, 「there』s no doubt,」 that these rural cameras are important tools to learn new information on wildlife.
格蘭特·哈里斯是新墨西哥州阿爾伯克基市美國魚類和野生動物服務局的生物學家。用他的話說，「毫無疑問」，這些野外相機是了解野生動物新信息的重要工具。
Harris said some images help scientists see the effects of climate change.For example, the desert animal javelina and the tree-loving coatimundi have been caught on cameras north of their normal habitat.Harris said this could mean global warming is expanding their range northward.
哈里斯說，一些圖像可以幫助科學家們看到氣候變化的影響。例如，沙漠動物西瑞豬和愛護樹木的長鼻浣熊已被正常棲息地以北的相機所捕獲。哈里斯說，這可能意味著全球變暖正在向北擴展。
Researchers with the Wyoming Migration Initiative, or WMI,are among those using rural cameras along with global positioning systems, or GPS.
懷俄明州遷移計劃（WMI）的研究人員使用野外相機和全球定位系統（GPS）。
They attach GPS devices to elk, mule deer and antelope in and around Yellowstone National Park.Then they can record their movements, or migrations.But WMI director Matthew Kauffman says as those devices are limited so is the amount of information they can gather from GPS.
他們將GPS設備連接到黃石國家公園內外的麋鹿，騾鹿和羚羊身上。然後他們可以記錄它們的動作，或者遷徙。但是懷俄明州遷移計劃主管馬修·考夫曼說，由於這些設備有限，所以他們從GPS收集的信息量也是有限的。
You see one animal migrating, you don』t know if it』s migrating by itself,if it』s migrating with a calf, or if it』s migrating with 40 other animals, Kauffman said.
考夫曼說：「你看到一隻動物正在遷徙，你不知道它是否自行遷徙，是一頭小牛正在遷徙，還是其他四十隻動物正在遷徙。」
However cameras can be left in very rural areas for days, weeks or even months.They can provide information on how many animals are moving over a given period of time, he said.
不過，相機可以在野外停留數天，數周甚至數月。他說，他們可以提供關於在一段時間內有多少動物正在移動的信息。
Putting those cameras in place requires careful planning.
把這些相機放在適當的位置需要仔細規劃。
There』s this tension between subjectivity in where you put your camera and where it』s statistically sound, Harris said.
哈里斯說：「相機放置的位置和聲音統計之間聯繫緊密。」
Sometimes, humans appear in the images."I』ve seen people moon cameras, and that』s always funny," he said.
有時，人類會出現在圖像中。他說：「我看過人類月球相機，這總是很有趣。」
Rural video can show details about animal behavior, such as the calls made by migrating mule deer.Also, some cameras live-stream animal life,showing everything from bison in Saskatchewan, Canada, to the underwater kelp forest off of California』s Channel Islands.
野外視頻可以顯示關於動物行為的細節，例如騾鹿遷移中發出的的呼叫。此外，一些攝像機可以直播動物的生活，展示從加拿大薩斯喀徹溫的野牛到加利福尼亞海峽群島的水下海藻森林。
However, rural cameras have their problems too.Animals such as wolverines and bears sometimes attack them.Scientists do not know if the attacks are the result of anger or interest.
但是，野外相機也存在問題。狼獾和熊等動物有時會攻擊它們。科學家們不知道這些攻擊是否是憤怒或感興趣的結果。
Also, the devices have become popular tools to help hunters look for animals.Some people argue that it is unfair to use the cameras that way.
此外，這些設備已經成為幫助獵人尋找動物的流行工具。有人認為這樣使用相機是不公平的。
Even with such problems, rural cameras are clearly an important scientific tool in researching wild animals.
即使有這樣的問題，鄉間相機顯然是研究野生動物的重要科學工具。
I』m Phil Dierking.
菲爾.迪爾金報道
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