I'm almost out of the camera trapping business.
It's just too damn expensive.
Dave called me from North Carolina this morning to tell me that a camera from a completey different project than the one we had cameras stolen from not two week ago (see here) got jacked!
That's four cameras in just about two weeks.
Like the others that were stolen, this camera was padlocked in a metal security box, and lag-screwed to a tree.
This time, however, the thieves must have yanked it off of the tree. Dave found only one lag screw still imbedded in the tree when he went to service the cams this morning. The hole where the screws went through the security box must have been rusty enough for them to pull the screw-head through. Perhaps this gave them just enough purchase to somehow cut through the other lag screw (?).
Not sure how they are going to get the padlock off. I hope they break the camera in the process, or give themself a gash that opens a major artery while doing so (I don't hope they die, mind you....but I wouldn't mind them being bed-ridden for a time).
I just don't get it. I'm at a loss. What's wrong with people?
Another ongoing research project ruined and forced into early retirement.
I'd like to hold it together but I can't any longer.....
SUNOVA @*)$Y!&!#)@!@##)(*@$!#_(*@#$)@$@_!_!($@(*$@(*&$@(^!#)(*&!!!!!!!!!!!!
Showing posts with label thieves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thieves. Show all posts
Friday, August 12, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (i.e., camera thieves)!!
I can't believe it.
Today, Dave went to check his cams as part of his ongoing camera trap project.
I get a call on my cell phone:
"Doc, bad news. Someone stole three of our cameras."
"You're &*$@ing kidding me??!!"
"Nope, they pried the security cases open and stole them."
"Sonova bleepity, bleeping, bleep!! Pull the rest. This project's over!"
Three RECONYX HC600 cameras. All of the lithium batteries (36 total). Three SD cards. And three security boxes. All stolen or ruined. All on private property. The landowners were all shocked and very unhappy. This is a fairly remote location. No random foot traffick. Someone had to have heard about this through the grapevine (maybe the landowners told someone, who told someone, who told the wrong person). They had to have come out there with a prybar looking for cameras (or they happened upon them and then came out looking for them later). They only found three....had they found all of them, they'd have stolen all of them.
So, nearly $2,000 gone because a some useless wastes of space couldn't keep their sticky fingers to themselves.
The worst is that Dave's project gets truncated. He's an undergraduate and has worked his backside off on this project.....searching and writting grants proposals to get money to purchase the cams....writting research proposals to the university......fighting the heat to service the cameras....spending hours organizing the tens of thousands of pictures.... And a coupla backwood yokel idiots do no work, and get all of the spoils.
I just hope that some day these useless idiots get what's coming to them!
Scum.
Here's what one of the cases looked like afterwards. Fairly good evidence that they don't hold up well to this type of attack.
My only consolation is that...maybe they either (1) hurt themselves during the process, (2) were bitten by a copperhead on the way out of the properties or (3) broke the cameras when breaking the boxes.
Today, Dave went to check his cams as part of his ongoing camera trap project.
I get a call on my cell phone:
"Doc, bad news. Someone stole three of our cameras."
"You're &*$@ing kidding me??!!"
"Nope, they pried the security cases open and stole them."
"Sonova bleepity, bleeping, bleep!! Pull the rest. This project's over!"
Three RECONYX HC600 cameras. All of the lithium batteries (36 total). Three SD cards. And three security boxes. All stolen or ruined. All on private property. The landowners were all shocked and very unhappy. This is a fairly remote location. No random foot traffick. Someone had to have heard about this through the grapevine (maybe the landowners told someone, who told someone, who told the wrong person). They had to have come out there with a prybar looking for cameras (or they happened upon them and then came out looking for them later). They only found three....had they found all of them, they'd have stolen all of them.
So, nearly $2,000 gone because a some useless wastes of space couldn't keep their sticky fingers to themselves.
The worst is that Dave's project gets truncated. He's an undergraduate and has worked his backside off on this project.....searching and writting grants proposals to get money to purchase the cams....writting research proposals to the university......fighting the heat to service the cameras....spending hours organizing the tens of thousands of pictures.... And a coupla backwood yokel idiots do no work, and get all of the spoils.
I just hope that some day these useless idiots get what's coming to them!
Scum.
Here's what one of the cases looked like afterwards. Fairly good evidence that they don't hold up well to this type of attack.
My only consolation is that...maybe they either (1) hurt themselves during the process, (2) were bitten by a copperhead on the way out of the properties or (3) broke the cameras when breaking the boxes.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
SONUVA....BLEEPITY BLEEPING BLEEP!
Well, camera thieves struck!
Yesterday, we set a camera at a new location along a river. There had been significant otter activity in the area...we had seen a mink there last month....there was a beaver sighting at the time of camera deployment AND we'd observed yellow-crowned night herons nearby.
Perfect place, right?
WRONG!
I broke all of my own rules, which was stupid.
We were in a rush. So I forgot to put my name on the camera (stupid). We didn't have a security box, so I just python locked the camera through the plastic brackets on the camera body (stupid). AND the water in the river was low, so I didn't realize how easy it would be for someone to rock-hop over to the bank where the camera was (stupid).
We were only going to leave it there for a few days, and we'd be by the spot every day to check on the cam. I figured we were safe (stupid).
The worst part is that the camera wasn't the only thing stolen. We had placed it somewhat near the turtle trap we'd been deploying as part of our surveys. This morning, I waded out towards the turtle trap...and didn't see it at first (figured I was just missing it in the water from a distance). Then, I glanced over to the camera and saw the python lock around the tree with NO camera attached.
"Someone stole the camera", I said to Dave.
"They also got the turtle trap", Dave responded.
We looked over to see the two cinder blocks that we use to secure the trap laying in the water...between them the metal of the sardine can used as bait reflected the sun weakly through the murky river.
The had busted the plastic brackets on the body of the camera to steal it. Then they waded into the river and untied the blocks, dumped the bait can and stole the trap.
Idiots.
Guess I'll inform the police......
The camera was not the highest quality (a Tasco, that we were trying out).
I hope it doesn't work and the thieves get some sort of shock from an electrical short, or something....
Had such high hopes for some nice otter and mink pics, too.
Mr. Thief...whoever you are...just remember....Karma's a bitch.
Yesterday, we set a camera at a new location along a river. There had been significant otter activity in the area...we had seen a mink there last month....there was a beaver sighting at the time of camera deployment AND we'd observed yellow-crowned night herons nearby.
Perfect place, right?
WRONG!
I broke all of my own rules, which was stupid.
We were in a rush. So I forgot to put my name on the camera (stupid). We didn't have a security box, so I just python locked the camera through the plastic brackets on the camera body (stupid). AND the water in the river was low, so I didn't realize how easy it would be for someone to rock-hop over to the bank where the camera was (stupid).
We were only going to leave it there for a few days, and we'd be by the spot every day to check on the cam. I figured we were safe (stupid).
The worst part is that the camera wasn't the only thing stolen. We had placed it somewhat near the turtle trap we'd been deploying as part of our surveys. This morning, I waded out towards the turtle trap...and didn't see it at first (figured I was just missing it in the water from a distance). Then, I glanced over to the camera and saw the python lock around the tree with NO camera attached.
"Someone stole the camera", I said to Dave.
"They also got the turtle trap", Dave responded.
We looked over to see the two cinder blocks that we use to secure the trap laying in the water...between them the metal of the sardine can used as bait reflected the sun weakly through the murky river.
The had busted the plastic brackets on the body of the camera to steal it. Then they waded into the river and untied the blocks, dumped the bait can and stole the trap.
Idiots.
Guess I'll inform the police......
The camera was not the highest quality (a Tasco, that we were trying out).
I hope it doesn't work and the thieves get some sort of shock from an electrical short, or something....
Had such high hopes for some nice otter and mink pics, too.
Mr. Thief...whoever you are...just remember....Karma's a bitch.
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