Camera traps at Georgia’s national parks catch rare, amusing moments of wildlife

Georgian wildlife experts are celebrating the sighting of a rare species of otters in one of the country’s national parks.

A camera trap spotted a pair of otters in the Algeti National Park 60 kilometres away from Tbilisi.

This is the first time in the history of the Algeti National Park that these animals have been spotted.

The otter is on Georgia’s ‘Red List’ of threatened species.

The otter live only in an area where there is clean water and clean food, meaning the Algeti National Park meets these criteria.

Several years ago camera traps were installed in Georgia’s protected areas and national parks to capture footage and prove that a variety of animals, some rare, live in the country’s uninhabited areas.

Apart from this rare glimpse of otters, other wild animals have also been spotted, with the most recent case of this surprisingly photogenic deer in the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park in central Georgia.

And this bear, desperately trying to relieve an itch and looking uncannily like Baloo from Jungle Book, was spotted in the Kintrishi Protected Landscape in the west of Georgia.

Apart from spotting rare animals, camera traps are also a good tool to reduce poaching and identify offenders. If the devices notice movement, such as an animal passing by or illegal hunting, it records the image and sends it to the Administration of Protected Areas. This helps the national parks and protected areas to prevent poaching in the area.