Hear about three innovative applications of bioacoustics for animal welfare, conservation law enforcement, and wildlife research. Speakers will discuss how acoustic monitoring is expanding the frontiers of conservation—whether tracking stress in zoo animals, measuring illegal hunting, or identifying small mammals by their unique vocalizations in the wild.

Join us on September 18 for presentations and a live Q&A!

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Using Passive Sound Monitoring to Understand and Manage Animal Habitat Soundscapes at the Oregon Zoo

Dr. Laurel Westcott // Animal Welfare Monitoring Specialist // Oregon Zoo

Many zoos and aquariums host after-hours events to engage local communities, attract new visitors, and generate revenue for wildlife conservation efforts. However, increased after-hours activity can create unfamiliar soundscapes. Anthropogenic noise, in one way or another, is unavoidable in most zoological facilities and can include varying intensities, extended periods of exposure, and significant bursts of sound.

Using the Song Meter SM4 acoustic recorder and Kaleidoscope analysis software, we can compare soundscapes across different times and conditions. We can then correlate the different soundscapes with potential effects on animal behavior, fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGM) concentrations (which measure stress responses), and observations from care staff to gain a holistic understanding of the animals’ overall well-being.

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Boots on the Ground: Using Passive Acoustic Monitoring to Evaluate Anti-Poaching Patrols

Dr. Christos Astara // Principal Researcher, Wildlife Laboratory // Forest Research Institute

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is transforming how conservation teams assess anti-poaching efforts. Dr. Astaras will present compelling findings from Korup National Park in Cameroon, where a 12-sensor acoustic grid was used not only to detect baseline levels of gun hunting activity but also to guide and evaluate changes in patrol strategy.

Despite a significant increase in patrol coverage during a known peak in poaching activity (the Christmas/New Year holiday season), gunshot detections were not reduced, highlighting the limitations of relying solely on patrol effort as a measure of effectiveness. Discover how PAM can enhance adaptive law enforcement strategies and how deploying acoustic grids can lead to improved outcomes for wildlife protection. If you’ve ever been curious about the applications of bioacoustics in law enforcement monitoring, this session offers valuable lessons and real-world insights from the field.

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Bioacoustics: A Promising Tool for the Identification of Small Terrestrial Mammals

Dr. Stuart Newson // Senior Research Ecologist, Data Science and Bioacoustics // British Trust for Ornithology

The ability to identify sounds made by small terrestrial mammals, to some extent, is immensely valuable. Bioacoustics can be used without impacting an animal’s behavior and can be deployed across larger areas than would be possible through more invasive methods such as live trapping. British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Senior Research Ecologist Dr. Stuart Newson will describe the approach his team has taken to collect and describe the calls of all small mammal species in the UK.

Learn about the BTO Acoustic Pipeline, which can automatically identify small mammals (and other species groups) based on their unique calls, and listen to case studies on how the Pipeline has improved our understanding of small mammal populations.