Estimating Mammal Appearance Patterns and a Wild Boar Density Using Multiple Motion Sensor Cameras in the Campus Site of Wakayama University, Central Japan

Abstract

In this study, we used motion sensor cameras and monitored mammal appearance patterns in the Wakayama University campus area located foothill development site with remaining forest patches between January 2023 and January 2024. We also estimated wild boar population density using the REST model. A total of 1065 days of camera operation and 9433 effective shots were taken, confirming the presence of 11 mammal species. The most frequent species was wild boar as 72.59 times/100 days. The result of the density estimation was 50.8 animals/㎢. These results indicate that the remnant forest in the foothill development area, adjacent to the human living spaces, functions as a habitat for various mammals.