Camera traps are a vital research and conservation tool but their deployment raises welfare considerations around disturbance, bait use, and data handling that researchers must address.
Camera trapping is generally considered a low-impact research method, but poorly designed studies can cause welfare harm through repeated startle responses, disruption of breeding activities, and altered movement patterns around lure stations. Best practice guidelines recommend avoiding placement at dens and nest sites during sensitive periods, minimising flash use through passive infrared alternatives, and rotating camera positions to reduce habituation effects. Open data sharing of camera trap records also raises privacy-adjacent concerns about sharing precise locations of rare or persecuted species. Welfare-conscious camera trapping requires explicit planning as part of study design.