Snapshot Serengeti Talk

How to tell you're a little obsessed...

  • polkadots29 by polkadots29

    I was watching a documentary on the BBC about lions and elephants and found myself trying to ID every different scene that was shot!

    Dedication or what?

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  • AowlanCrystal by AowlanCrystal moderator in response to polkadots29's comment.

    Yup! sounds like your very obsessed! join the club!! ..
    I know exactly what you mean, been doing that with 'african' wildlife shows, since I started from the first season. I have noticed though there seem to be a few species (either that or many names for just a few) that have the black side stripe as seen in the tommy and young grants..

    About a year ago, while I was watching the Nat Geo+ TV station, a some what sad, but interesting programme called Lion v Cheetah, came on, part way through the show, the program had the Serengeti's Lion project on. also one of Snapshots Scientists (Aliburchard) talking about the very camera traps we are classifying from. Wonder if their are any other wildlife shows that mention these particular camera traps etc..

    I find these wildlife shows are really useful, cause you can get to see different angles of and assorted behaviour from each the species, it can help with identifying some of those distant shapes or bits of body in the corners of the image.

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  • areinders by areinders moderator

    Ali can also be seen in a short sequence in the BBC's "The Truth About Lions" than ran on PBS. It is a two part show that mainly focused on the dynamics of various lion prides. I don't remember if they specifically mentioned the traps, though.

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  • aliburchard by aliburchard scientist, translator

    I don't think the Truth About Lions mentioned the camera traps much, if at all -- they were out filming at the same time I was just setting up Season 1 (so it was before we knew how awesome the cameras would be!). I do love the BBC shows though - their crew is always so well prepared and so informed...maybe we'll get the cameras covered again in the future. 😃 Publicity never hurts!

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  • AowlanCrystal by AowlanCrystal moderator

    Maybe contact them and mention how well the cameras are doing, how much interest it has got from people from all around the world, to help sort though the many thousands of images and if they are interested on doing a program about the value of camera traps in science etc.....

    I think it would be great to see the real work that goes into setting them up, maintaining them, what results are being being gotten so far and what is hoped to be gained from this excellent project, we who are not involved directly, who are just sat behind a PC or tablet, are just get the snap shots of the team, cutting the over growth of grass/plants away from the cameras, replacing mauled and mangled cameras etc... but we are not seeing the true extent of the hard work involved or the distances between the cameras (written details are one thing, but seeing the scene on screen and air views of distances between getting from one camera to another, is better).

    I think a really good program could be made, with everything from how it was set up and why, what data has been gleened from the data so far processed, who and how many are involved in making the project happen, some of the great shots, any unexpected data, behaviour observed or unusual animals seen, and be nice to get a sense of the wider area around a camera trap, why it was choisen..... I always wonder whats the view is the other way, from the way the cameras pointing! ......... 😉

    Are any of the cameras back to back?

    And of course the publicity it would bring......and maybe help with getting future backing for even more seasons.

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