Zoo Gets I-Deer of Animal Antics After Dark

Motion sensitive camera traps have revealed for the first time what the animals at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo get up to after dark.

Zookeepers installed the cameras, identical to those used around the world by ZSL’s field conservation teams, to allow them to remotely observe the Zoo’s herd of fallow deer.

Detecting movement within a 30ft range, the cameras recorded the night-time activity of the herd as they grazed and roamed through their 80-acre paddock, Passage through Asia, which visitors can drive-through during the day.

As the time is logged whenever the cameras are triggered, zookeepers were able to use the technology to learn more about the deer’s night-time activity and behaviour.

Zookeeper Donovan Glyn said: “These images are not only fascinating for us to see, but extremely useful as they allow us to observe what the animals do when we’re not here.

“We regularly update and change the way we look after the animals to ensure we’re always providing the best care and we’ll use the information gleaned from our night-time observations to devise new feeding and enrichment programmes for the fallow deer.

“While this is the first time we’ve used the camera traps to monitor our deer at Whipsnade, ZSL’s conservationists already make great use of camera traps to track wild animals, particularly in remote or difficult-to-access locations. People here in the UK can even help us identify the species we’re tracking overseas using ZSL’s Instant Wild app.”

Budding conservationists have the chance to work with the keepers and try out the camera traps for themselves by signing up to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s two-day Field Academy courses, which will run from February to August.

Discovery and Learning officer Sadie Gorvett said: “Field Academy is for 11 to 14 year olds and is an exciting opportunity for aspiring biologists to learn how to track animals, and develop species identification skills.

“As well as the deer, participants will also have the chance to place camera traps in the cheetah and squirrel monkey exhibits – and help us to study a range of species.”