WWF-Malaysia “Tigers Alive!” project field biologists Mark Rayan Darmaraj and Shariff Mohamad were in Temengor conducting research on tiger ecology in a logged dipterocarp forest. Along with them were Reuben Clements, Peninsular Malaysia Forest Species Manager, and Bivash Pandav, WWF-International’s coordinator for Tigers and Asian Big Cats.A 2004 study conducted in Nepal found that tigers probably avoided camera-traps due to the flash emitted by these contraptions. The video-trap was installed in Temengor to investigate how tigers react to foreign objects such as camera-traps and document their reaction when the light of a camera-trap flashes. Camera and video traps operate similarly; but instead of a flash, the video camera emits an infra red light and as such is not a deterrent as far as we know and furthermore, the video camera is installed inside a larger casing.Before this, the team with the assistance of Stephen Hogg, head of WWF-Malaysia’s Audio-Visual Library, used a video-trap with a white halogen light, which scared away the first wild Malayan tiger on video. This three-second clip recorded in Jeli, Kelantan, initiated the team to try video-trapping using infra-red light instead. Within two months, the second clip was captured – this time for a whole nine seconds. The tiger didn’t even appear to notice the video whirring.On this latest expedition three new clips of the Temengor tigers were recorded offering a deeper insight into tigers’ behaviour. Two videos were documented during the day and one at night. The clips showed two individual female tigers on separate occasions sniffing the camera-trap attached at the opposite side of the video-trap, obviously very curious of the foreign object. Based on the success of these new clips, the team plans to set up more video-traps at selected locations in Temengor to gain more information on tiger behaviour as well as to document group numbers of tiger prey. Wish them luck!
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