THE latest equipment in wildlife observation was on show at an event in the region.
WildlifeCam Ltd, which is based in Castle Douglas, held its inaugural event at Threave Nature Reserve, last week, attended by representatives from Nature Scotland, Trustees for NTS, as well as wildlife enthusiasts.
Founder Cowan Scott explained how it came about: “Ten years ago, Keith Kirk (ex. countryside ranger with over 30 years of experience, professional wildlife photographer, journalist and naturalist) and I ran a small but unique tourism enterprise called Nocturnal Wildlife Tours. “The idea came from my everyday involvement in working with thermal imaging and night vision equipment.
“We would see all sorts of animals from hedgehogs and mice to red deer, badgers, foxes, hare, bats, roosting birds. To coin a phrase someone used, “It’s like Piccadilly Circus out here.”
“The sheer exhilaration and excitement of seeing wildlife at night left an indelible mark on tour participants, and coupled with Keith’s knowledge, there was a story to tell for each animal we saw.”
He said that informed their key aims with WildlifeCam Ltd and it’s their desire to engage with people through social media platforms in order to share footage, stories and ideas.
Cowan added: “We believe, the more we engage with the public and organisations such as the National Trust for Scotland, the more widely we hope to educate people on the benefits of using thermal imaging technology in animal research.
“Thermal imaging technology has undoubtedly shed a light on otherwise unknown animal behaviour and it’s our mission to get the message across that everybody can experience this. You don’t have to wait until you see thermal footage of wildlife on TV, you can reproduce similar result through your own lens.”
