Eleanor Comley

I am currently studying my MRes at the University of Chester and completing my research in collaboration with Chester Zoo, utilising camera trap images collected as part of their Giant Pangolin Conservation Project in Uganda. Within this dataset, I aim to focus my attention on carnivore guilds and will be assessing the presence and distribution of different species in relation to each other and to different habitat types.

I have been working with carnivores for the past five years, primarily in Malawi with spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) and cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). Carnivores are a vital component of a healthy ecosystem and display a wide range of fascinating social behaviours. However, they frequently come into contact with human populations leading to human-wildlife conflict, as well as being susceptible to many other threats, such as habitat loss and poaching.

Camera traps are a highly valuable research method when studying elusive species such as carnivores, of which many are active at night when other methods are ineffective. The images collected by Chester Zoo provide an insight into a world rarely seen and I’m excited to hopefully uncover new information which can be used to further inform targeted conservation action.