The Woburn Estate

Privacy

Bedford Estates logoThe Bedford Estates, London

Woburn otters support global conservation efforts!

  • Animals
Back to News
If you follow us on Facebook or have been keeping up with our conservation news you may have seen that keepers and researchers here at Woburn have been getting snap happy over in Otter Falls for the last few months - but they haven't been taking photos of the marvellous mammals adorable features...
 
As part of a global research project organised by WildTrack, the non-invasive wildlife monitoring group, keepers were getting down in the dirt and taking pictures of muddy footprints left by the resident Asian short-clawed otters around their enclosure.
 
 
The WildTrack network of biologists and conservationists have used the data from Woburn and other collections from all around the world to develop footprint identification technique (FIT) technology that can tell the difference between the four species that may overlap in the wild across parts of Asia – Eurasian otter, smooth-coated otter, hairy-nosed otter and the Asian short-clawed otter.

Best foot forward...!

The technology developed extracted morphometric data (like size and shape) from the digital images of footprints and used state-of-the-art Machine Learning to classify the information. It was hoped that FIT technology could help to establish population size and range in different areas, so experts can make sure that the right conservation actions are taking place for each species in each habitat.

Initial results were incredibly promising, and the research paper on the technology has now been published online.

The footprint images analysed with the AI system resulted in a 99% classification accuracy for three species, and conservation teams in Malaysia are now being trained and planning to use the monitoring tool that we have helped to develop for a Malaysia-wide wild otter survey!

...but it's not over yet!

We will be continuing to work with WildTrack to supply more photo evidence to increase the database and help with these important advancements in species monitoring technology.

Our thanks to the Wildtrack team for including us in this study, and a huge WELL DONE to the research and animal team at Woburn for their effort!