By https://www.abc.net.au/news/melissa-brown/167028
Publication Date: 2026-04-26 19:13:00
When Erin Nash returned to the office from the Otways earlier this year with 73 field cameras, there were 39,000 images to sort and analyze.
Parks Victoria’s conservation officer had observed how the summer bushfires affected native animals living in the areas, including potoroos, bandicoots and swamp antechinus.
“We are looking for locations where there are endangered species that survived the fire so we can target our wildlife control programs to give them… the best chance of survival,” Dr. Nash.
Dr. Erin Nash installs one of Parks Victoria’s field cameras in a bushfire-burnt area of the Otways. (Supplied: Parks Victoria)
It would normally take weeks to review these images one by one.
But within a few hours, Dr. Nash confirm a serious problem.
“There used to be thick vegetation in these areas that prevented deer and hogs from entering some of our national parks,” she said.
“I was able to quickly recognize…