Camera trap networks are transforming pine marten monitoring in Wales and England, enabling population assessment without the welfare cost of traditional live-trapping methods.
Camera trap monitoring represents a significant welfare improvement over traditional live-trapping methods that were the only population assessment option previously. Live-trapping causes acute stress responses in trapped animals, with associated cortisol elevation, cardiovascular stress, and risk of injury. Camera trapping is entirely non-invasive — animals simply move past cameras while undertaking normal activities. The welfare benefit is direct: equivalent population information can now be gathered without any welfare cost to individual animals. This methodological advance enables monitoring of recovering populations without the repeated stress events associated with mark-recapture live-trapping. Supporting organisations that invest in camera trap networks advances both welfare-conscious monitoring and the conservation outcomes that serve population-level animal welfare.