Camera Traps Clear Endangered Tapir of Crop Damage in Honduras

A study in Neotropical Biology and Conservation used camera traps to identify the true culprit behind cassava crop damage in the Indigenous Miskitu community of Mavita, eastern Honduras. Local residents had long blamed the endangered Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), along with pacas and armadillos. Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) deployed solar-powered, motion-activated LED camera traps across a 10-hectare cassava field over two months. The cameras recorded seven mammal species, including ocelots, jaguarundis, opossums, rabbits, and tapirs. The most frequent visitor was the Honduran cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus hondurensis), which locals did not even realize visited the crops. Lead author Manfredo Turcios-Casco noted that many conservation conflicts begin with assumptions, and camera traps helped separate perception from reality. The technology exonerated the tapir, highlighting how non-invasive monitoring can resolve human-wildlife conflicts.