Camera Trapping Wild Cats with Landowners in Northern Belize

Venetia S. Briggs-Gonzalez; Frank J. Mazzotti

Camera Trapping Wild Cats with Landowners in Northern Belize

Venetia S. Briggs-Gonzalez^1,2,* and Frank J. Mazzotti²

¹Lamanai Field Research Center, Indian Church, Orange Walk, Belize. ²University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, 3205 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA. *Corresponding author.

Caribbean Naturalist, No. 17 (2014)

Abstract
In contact zones where humans and wildlife are forced to share a landscape, conflicts usually arise because of socio-economic pressures, a lack of awareness of sustainable resource management, and a limited appreciation for wildlife conservation. After retaliatory killings of 2 Panthera onca (Jaguar), we implemented an incentive-based program using camera traps to engage landowners in wild-cat conservation efforts. Thirteen landowners participated in the project and we captured 21 photos of wild cats over 670 trap nights, for a trap success rate of 3.14%. Felid research has traditionally been conducted in protected areas, but this study area is highly human-dominated, and wild cats were photographed across the landscape mosaic. Here, we use effective scientific methods to directly impact not only wildlife conservation outside of protected areas but also community development by fostering a positive relationship with local communities that are in direct contact with wildlife.

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