‘Bathroom’ Trail Cams Capture Secretive Lives of Red Pandas

By Bethanie H

Published

07/23/2025

A scientific study in The Wildlife Society Bulletin explains how researchers can use trail cams to study wild red pandas—“elusive and mysterious” mammals that live in Asia’s Himalayan forests. The study, called “Use of camera traps to record wild red panda activity in eastern Nepal,” explains how scientists were able to monitor red pandas using 19 pairs of trail cameras over the course of about a month. Cameras in trees were eight times more effective at capturing these arboreal mammals than cameras at ground level.

Videos by Outdoors

“Behavior of wild red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is not well‐studied, as it is difficult to locate and track individuals,” researchers wrote in the study. “Previous studies of red panda behavior have involved direct observations, finding fecal scats, and GPS collar deployment. We assessed the value of using camera traps to monitor wild red panda, evaluating the utility of placing cameras on the ground or in trees.”

The Wildlife Society reports that although trail cams in trees were most effective, this does present challenges. For instance, it’s physically difficult to climb into the tree canopies. Also, leaves can falsely trigger the cameras’ motion sensors, creating more work for researchers in the lab.

In the end, though, the extra work paid off. Interestingly, one of the best places to capture red-panda behavior ended up being the spots where they go to the bathroom.

“The best places to record were basically bathroom cams,” wrote The Wildlife Society in its coverage of the study. “Red pandas will often return to the same latrine sites to defecate, usually on big oak trees next to the bamboo they feed on.”

Read the study about how scientists can use trail cams to study red pandas here.