Scoring Body Condition in Wild Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) Using Camera Traps and Opportunistic Photographic Material

Abstract

Body condition score (BCS) systems have been used in wild animals as a technique for evaluating the health status of species that are difficult to capture but can be observed in their habitat. In this study, our goal was to enable scoring the BC of wild Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii) without the need for direct observation, using camera trap and opportunistic photographic records. First, we modified a BCS assessment that was created for other tapir species, using captive Baird's tapirs. Second, we applied it to a set of photographs of wild Baird's tapir that were obtained over six consecutive years in a protected area in southern Mexico. We compared morphometric measurements and muscle and fat deposited in several anatomical regions. We also evaluated changes in BC between seasons for individuals photographed on several occasions. We show that neck and thorax circumferences are significantly correlated with all BCSs associated with these anatomical regions, whereas abdominal circumference is correlated only with half of the BCS. BCS of captive tapirs that we evaluated averaged 24.93 AE 5.61, which was higher than that of wild tapirs (22.63 AE 3.68). No significant difference in BC was apparent between rainy and dry seasons in our study site; wild tapirs were able to maintain good BC throughout the year. Camera trap records and opportunistic photographs were a useful tool to track changes in BC over time.

Human-wildlife conflicts and drought in the greater Calakmul Region, Mexico: implications for tapir conservation

“…Because of the extended drought some aguadas have dried up and loss their waterretention capability (Reyna-Hurtado et al 2010). Since 2008, more tapirs have been observed near or inside different communal lands of the municipality of Calakmul; most of them were in poor body condition and were dehydrated (Pérez-Flores et al 2016). The lack of available water resources forces tapirs to search food and water in places where people store water and carry out productive activities.…”

Quantitative photogrammetric methodology for measuring mammalian belly score in the painted dog

“…For free-ranging species in forested and remote environments, various photographic methods have been used successfully to assess relative morphometric measurement and analysis. Examples include photographs of sedated wild animals with a reference of known scale (e.g., ruler) included in the photograph [ 26 ], and relative assessments of body condition using remotely placed motion-sensor camera traps [ 14 ].…”

“…Photogrammetry has been used to estimate physical dimensions of wild species [7,8], body condition in terrestrial and marine mammals [9,10], and nutritional and disease conditions [11,12]. Photogrammetry and body condition scoring are tools used for both wild and domestic animals to measure, assess, and monitor the well-being of individuals and populations [7,9,[13][14][15], but practically, they can also be attained through "citizen science" [16,17]. For wild or free-ranging animals, accurately measuring body condition generally involves the stress and cost of capture and restraint, which may inhibit the collection of meaningful sample sizes [8,14].…”

Assessing Nutritional Condition of Mule Deer Using a Photographic Index

“…Ocular estimates of nutritional condition could offer a noninvasive alternative to the ante‐mortem and post‐mortem indices when capture or mortality are not possible. Nutritional condition indices based on images have been developed for some large mammals, including Baird's tapirs ( Tapirella bairdii ; Pérez‐Flores et al 2016), gray whales ( Eschrichtius robustus ; Bradford et al 2012), and African elephants ( Loxodonta africana ; Morfeld et al 2014), using handheld cameras.…”