Scientists just cleared an endangered species' name — with the help of camera traps

Wildlife Conservation Society researchers using camera traps in a Honduras cassava field found that endangered Baird's tapirs—blamed for crop destruction and facing retaliatory hunting—were not the primary culprits; rabbits were the actual crop raiders, potentially ending unjustified persecution of a species that plays a vital ecosystem role as 'gardeners of the forest' dispersing 200 plant species.

The discovery may reduce but does not automatically end retaliatory hunting without ongoing community education and enforcement.