Camera traps used in wildlife research provide valuable behavioral and population data, but raise welfare questions about scent attractants that alter natural behavior and camera placement that may create unnecessary stress.
Camera trap welfare represents the welfare dimensions of wildlife research methodology — a relatively unexplored area where good practices can substantially reduce research-induced welfare costs without compromising data quality. White flash cameras cause acute visual disturbance that infrared alternatives avoid; scent lures alter movement patterns in ways that may have energetic consequences; high-density camera arrays create pervasive human-odor presence in wildlife habitat. Professional standards that prefer infrared to white flash, minimize scent-based attractants, and avoid camera placement at sensitive locations like den sites and nest areas reduce research welfare costs. Applying these standards widely as minimal welfare practice in wildlife research requires professional culture change supported by institutional requirements.