It takes a keen eye to spot some of Khao Yai’s more reclusive animals, many only come out to hunt and forage at night. Setting camera traps and identifying tracks is the only way to ever know they were there.

Kanda Damrongchainarong uses these techniques to monitor the health of animal populations in Khao Yai. FREELAND’s Conservation Project Field Coordinator, Kanda has been monitoring wildlife in the park for 4 years and speaks passionately about the animals she works to protect.

This Sun Bear, identified by the pale patch of fur on its chest, was captured on film in the early morning using a camera trap. Photographers would be unlikely to get this close to any of Khao Yai’s wild animals.

Usually set along identified animal thoroughfares in the forest; camera traps use an infra-red sensor to detect movement, triggering a flash camera. Despite being enclosed inside a protective case, they can be damaged by bad weather, inquisitive ants and larger animals, such as bears and elephants.

Kanda says that cameras recovered intact often tell interesting stories over several nights in the forest, recording the nocturnal movements of animals and poachers alike.