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Camera traps have become hugely popular amongst naturalists and have produced striking pictures of rarely seen, secretive, and nocturnal animals. In A Camera Trapper's Companion, conservation scientist Chris Wemmer provides a historical review of the art and science of camera trapping from its rough and tumble beginnings over a century ago, mostly in the hands of hunters and trappers, and on into today's high tech world of digital, wireless and remote technology. Additionally, the book contains plenty of practical advice and every chapter describes hard-won insights that have been the result of months, sometimes years, of painstaking research, trial and error, and patience. Wemmer's anecdotes, sidebars, and references are practical and discuss the planning and execution of a project, analyzing of data and drawing conclusions, or offer advice on how the prospective camera trapper can best stay out of legal and ethical hot water.
Chris Wemmer grew up in San Francisco and the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from San Francisco State University and his PhD in zoology with a major in ethology and minors in ecology and physiology from the University of Maryland, Wemmer worked at the Chicago Zoological Society as curator of small mammals and large carnivores for two years. In 1974 he was hired by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoological Park, where he was tasked with managing the newly acquired Conservation and Research Center, now known as the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, located in Front Royal, Virginia. Following a year and a half assignment in Washington, DC, as the zoo’s acting director, Wemmer continued the long journey of developing an internationally recognized program in conservation science. Over the span of thirty years, the centre’s programs in captive breeding and husbandry of endangered species grew to include robust initiatives in research, environmental education, and international training in wildlife conservation. Despite his administrative duties, Wemmer has always remained a boy naturalist at heart.
""Well that was fun," was my first reaction to finishing A Camera Trapper's Companion by Chris Wemmer. I read it pretty much straight through, could hardly put it down, and when I had to I could hardly wait to pick it back up again. Requisite reviewer's "deep thoughts" aside, and long story short, this book is a humdinger. You're going to like it. [...] It might be a temptation to call A Camera Trapper's Companion a textbook and I suppose in some sense it is But it's really, as the title suggests, a "companion" and, like any good companion, you'll find it welcoming and will want to keep it near and visit it many times. Enjoy!"
– Miles Roberts, Deputy Head of the Department of Zoological Research at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (Retired)
