Wildlife Photography - A Costly Impact!
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| A male adder 'mate guarding' this larger female in early spring. © 2014 Brett Lewis |
Over the past few years there has
been an influx in the number of people photographing herpetofauna including
lizards, slow-worm, grass snake etc., but perhaps none more so than the Adder (Vipera berus).
The Adder has become a target
species for the trophy hunting photographer and indeed the ‘wildlife and
conservation photographer’ fraternity that offer workshops, deliberately targeting
reptiles in the spring and late summer months throughout the UK.
I have to put into question the
reasons why the Adder has become the No.1 target for would-be photographers and
I believe it to be no more than a ‘trophy’,
and a profiteering exercise since
there is little evidence of a tangible, conservation outcome from their
activities. I’d even go so far as saying that the activities of a few are very
detrimental to a great number of animals.
Adders are a long-lived species
and have evolved special traits that have allowed them to exploit even the
coldest of climates within the Arctic Circle, yet they remain a cryptic and shy
species, subtly going about their activities. They are a top predator, well
adapted to help maintain equilibrium within the habitats in which they thrive.
With the slightest understanding
of reptile ecology, it is not difficult to work out the best times of the year
to view these amazing animals. The best times are indeed the early spring
months and late summer but is it possible that the well-meaning photographer
might be causing more harm than good? Is limited knowledge of the photographic
subject an undoing of the entire population?
Whilst I am well aware of the
plight of herpetofauna species in the UK through loss of habitat, increased
predation, stochastic events through anthropogenic intention, and climate
change etc., there are more subtle problems afoot and we can help by giving
them some room.
Many of my followers here and on
Facebook will know of my passion for all things wildlife and indeed my work
with herpetofauna, spanning over many years. You will know that I love to spend
time in the field studying their behavior, and collecting biometric information
to help our understanding of their life histories. I also undertake hands-on
conservation activities to help improve their habitats, and in turn preserve
local populations. I also really enjoy photographing them, but how can this
simple, inert activity affect the population?
Well, firstly there is the
obvious disturbance issue. Adders do not like to be discovered and avoid
predators, humans included, at all costs. As mentioned before, they are a shy,
cryptic species and will often move quickly into the undergrowth if they sense
detection. However, with the recent spout of photography, this disturbance
level has gone much further and there are a great number of people catching
Adders and placing them in the open habitat in order to capture an unobscured
image or that illusive ‘perfect picture’. There are records of people
collecting them and taking them long distances to photograph them over several
days, whilst in captivity.
There are people who use cool
boxes in an attempt to reduce the activity of the subject and photograph them
over extended periods of time. There are people who antogonise them in order to
make them ‘strike’ to get that ‘aggressive snake’ shot. There are people that blow
smoke into the faces of Adders in order for them to flick their tongue. People
use all sorts of methods in order to achieve that ‘different’ photographic
image.
These issues are well documented
among the herpetofauna science communities and there is ongoing debate about
the best way to help alleviate the exponential trend in disturbance issues,
especially among tourist and ‘pay-per-view’ photographers’.
Perhaps those that carry out
these practices, in the name of ‘conservation photography’, might first spend
some quality time reading the relevant literature and discover the true ecology
of the species they are targeting and understand the real effects they are
having on the overall population – not just the one or two snakes they are
viewing at any given time.
A prime example of this came to
light earlier this year when photographers started to announce their workshops
for the coming seasons. In one instance the photographer predicted that this
month was the best time to go out and photograph adders with their company, as
there are so many around and ‘close together’!
Another example is a company
advertising reptile photography workshops including European Protected Species
(EPS), on a well known RSPB reserve in Dorset.
Perhaps, if I provide you with a
couple of reasons why these activities might be detrimental or shouldn’t be
undertaken then you might take it upon yourselves to find out a little bit more
about the species you are affecting and maybe change your policies and indeed
your ethics.
Firstly, disturbance of EPS,
without the appropriate licence, is illegal and if you are part of such
activities you are open to prosecution under the law governing strict
protection of these species. Species include Smooth snakes (Coronella austriaca) and Sand lizards (Lacerta agilis). Even if you are with a
licensed person, there are certain activities that may not be permitted under
their licence, and they may include photography. Photography is only
permissible if it is an incidental part of a licensable activity.
Secondly, did you know that adder
sperm is costly? A very interesting paper by Olsson et al. (1997) describes the level of body mass that is lost by
individual male adders through spermatogenesis (sperm generation) when they
come out of hibernation. Male adders are often sedentary when they come out of
hibernation (brumation) and spend much of their time basking in the warm,
spring sun, in order to produce enough sperm for the pending mating season - An
expensive component of reproduction. They have been shown to use up to 5% of
their body mass on this activity alone, which is significant given that they
haven’t eaten for several months prior to this and wont be in their best
condition anyway. Furthermore, they lose more body mass post-ecdysis (after
sloughing), which shows that the first month out of hibernation is a tough time
for them. It is important that they are allowed to go about this activity in
order to produce enough sperm to mate successfully and hopefully sire the next
generation of adder and continue their life histories. So, sperm production is
costly and necessary and disturbance at this time of year will impact on their
breeding success and future generations.
Next, post-ecdysis, the males
will go about their courtship behavior and will seek out and ‘guard’ females.
Males will often ‘wrestle’ in combat, again using vital resources. Further
disturbance of these beautiful looking specimens will interrupt this process
and will reduce breeding success.
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| A male adder pre-ecdysis, Kent, UK. © 2014 Brett Lewis |
Many female adders will spend their
spring and summer months basking for thermoregulation. Adders are viviparous
and incubate their young inside. The females need to regulate their body
temperature to optimize the gestation process and facilitate development of
their young. Eventually, in late summer, the females give birth to live young
that will be ready to fend for themselves. Disturbance of female adders
throughout this time will significantly reduce their chances of developing a
successful clutch of young snakes and therefore undermining the entire
population.
Herpetologists, those that study
reptiles and amphibians, are well aware of these processes and I include myself
among those. It is important that we, as photographers, do not cause undue
stress or disturbance to our target species and this should be the very moral
and ethical underpinning to our working lives.
I hope, by highlighting this
ongoing problem, you might look at the way you approach photography of wildlife
and perhaps take time to read and learn more about the species you are
affecting in the field. There is no doubt that any disturbance to adders may
cause them problems, so ask yourselves and your clients if you/they are happy
with disturbing them in order to obtain a photograph whilst possibly impacting
the entire population?
There are many ways in which we
can absorb the desired knowledge and there are many organisations out there that
are willing to share that knowledge with you. Don’t be proud, be ethical and
take conservation seriously. Money in your pocket is not worth the wildlife on
your doorstep. Let this blog remind you of that fact with every subject you
photograph and may you continue to enjoy all that the world has to offer and
remember ‘Take Only Photographs – Leave Only Footprints’.
