The number of nature observers and photographers is still increasing, so it is worth paying attention to unethical behavior, educating yourself and others, scientists point out.
The visit of the pygmy owl at the Institute building became an opportunity to remind the rules of nature photography.
– The observations were so pleasant that we could watch her from the window of the Institute, without scaring her or disturbing her rest. Unfortunately, the information about the presence of the pygmy owl circulated several Facebook groups and for two days we watched a photographer who stood for hours with a loudspeaker and, by releasing the voice of the male pygmy owl, tried to force the pygmy owl to order lower so that he could take the perfect photo – reports the Mammal Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Don’t cheat and don’t risk it
Why shouldn’t this be done? Scientists give arguments: the bird may starve at this time, because instead of hunting, it listens to the voice of its rival; becomes careless and may be attacked by a predator, such as a sparrowhawk; during the breeding season, it may stop feeding the cubs; the spoken voice exposes the pygmy owl to high stress caused by imitation of a loud rival; the voice of the pygmy owl attracts the attention of the passerine birds, which may start harassing it.
On this occasion, the Institute recalls the ethical principles of nature photography contained in the code of ethics of the Association of Polish Nature Photographers.
The main message of the code is that the welfare of the subject and its environment is “much more important” than the taking of the photograph. When photographing in the field, the photographer should prioritize the safety of the animals and not disturbing their lives – “especially during the breeding season”.
Clean up after yourself
The recommendations include, among others, that the photographer should not leave clear traces of his presence on the site, and should not intentionally visit the sites of species sensitive to disturbance. The use of voice-reproducing devices is only possible under the condition of conducting research for which permission has been obtained. You should not disturb the peace of animals in sleeping places – you must unconditionally respect the winter hibernation.
When it comes to feeding or using drinkers to attract animals, photographers must remember that in most cases artificial feeding of animals does them more harm than good. Therefore, these methods for the purpose of nature photography should be used with great moderation.
If we decide on them, we must carefully read the rules of safe feeding of a given group of animals and then strictly follow them.
Care should be taken to ensure that the photographing does not interfere with the feeding of animals or the transport of food to the nest. This applies especially to species that put a lot of effort into obtaining food (e.g. predators), as well as to periods of rearing young.
Due to the serious risk of behavior change and human-animal conflict, it is forbidden to feed large predatory mammals (wolf, bear, lynx) in order to take a photo.
Attention! It is unacceptable to use live baits (e.g. mice) to lure wild animals. Nature photography cannot be bought with the lives of other animals.
The code points out that photographing sites of endangered species of plants, fungi or animals in the protection zones may only take place after obtaining the appropriate permit.
Spring is coming, hide
It is of great importance that photographs of birds on nests, especially of species intolerant of close human presence, are taken only by those who have extensive knowledge of birds’ behavior during the mating season and have the appropriate permits. Experience and photographic knowledge alone do not automatically entitle you to take such a photograph, especially in the case of protected species.
Concealment should be used wherever there is doubt as to whether shooting without it will not disturb the animals. However, it should not be placed where it may attract the attention of humans or predators.
Paths to the socket should not be conspicuous. In between sessions, the site should be restored to its most natural state. The successive stages of moving or placing a hiding place, setting up photographic or lighting equipment, etc. should be separated by a maximum of time. There are many species that need at least a week of preparation and taming with a new element of the environment. Each stage of preparation must be fully accepted by the subjects before the next stage is initiated. If that doesn’t work, go back to the previous step, and if that doesn’t help, quit.
Children are the most important
The rules that apply to birds at the nest also apply to photographing chicks.
The irresponsible behavior of an inexperienced or overly nosy photographer can result in the abandonment of the brood or the attack of a predator. Chicks must not be taken out of the nest in order to take an arranged photograph!
Don’t cheat and don’t cheat
For cold-blooded animals and invertebrates, temporary relocation to a studio or vivarium for photographic purposes is widely accepted practice, but field photography should be preferred wherever possible. If an object is moved from freedom, it should be released as soon as possible, and in the environment from which it was retrieved.
Freezing or euthanizing invertebrates to sedate them and capturing birds for photographing under controlled conditions are not acceptable practices. No protected species may be captured without permission, and capture includes all forms of captivity, including netting.
Vertebrate animals cannot be immobilized in any way during the photographing (e.g. by means of glue or restraints).
The full text of the code of ethics is available on the website of the Association of Polish Nature Photographers.
