Nurul Azza Ismail
Camera trap study analysis of population recovery of Malaysia's wild pigs after the African Swine Fever epidemic.
Background: Asia's wild pigs are ecosystem engineers and a key food for predators and people. The arrival of African swine fever (ASF) in 2018 induced near‐100% fatality in domestic pigs and decimated the Chinese pork industry in 2020 but outcomes for wild pigs have been delayed and unclear. We have used camera traps to report on the mass mortality of native wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Peninsular Malaysia. ASF was confirmed at our long‐term study site in February 2022 and wild boar carcasses increased >100‐ fold in June 2022 compared to prior years. Camera trapping revealed an 87% decline in wild boar activity in 2022 compared to five prior surveys.
Project: We have now completed another camera trap survey in 2023 and it seems wild boars are returning. this project will sort 40 camera traps, using the Wildlife Insights AI platform to help identify wildlife in images to the species level. Then we will produce a report about the recovery of pigs and the possibility of changes in other animals.
(iv) what kind of approaches will be used?
The project involves the following steps:
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Converting hidden camera images of wildlife for AI/ML analysis and human confirmation
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Analyzing detection histories to determine occupancy and abundance of pigs and their predators through time.
