Camera trap spots endangered elephant mother and calf on the move

Night has fallen; an elephant mother and her calf walk through Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, which covers more than 4000 square kilometres of rainforest in the northern Republic of the Congo. This remarkable photograph above of the critically endangered African forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) was captured using a camera trap.

The image is included in photographer Will Burrard-Lucas’s year-long project showcasing the park’s rarely seen animals. Working with nonprofit organisation the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Burrard-Lucas captured the images with a professional-grade digital camera inside a weatherproof enclosure (shown below), combined with lights and a motion-detecting trigger.

“This set-up needs to be rugged and reliable, capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions and the curiosity of wildlife,” says Burrard-Lucas. He consulted with WCS experts about where to place cameras, such as near trails through dense vegetation, which tend to be animal highways.

Burrard-Lucas hopes his images will help efforts to protect endangered species: “If these images inspire even a few people to learn more, visit as tourists or take action for conservation, then they have served a purpose.”