Snapping the toddy cat on purpose

It was almost within reach of the bait, but then the toddy cat changed its mind.

After the toddy cat's first visit I decided to try baiting it into a strangler fig.

The upright trunks were picturesque and more accessible than the log jam and windblown tree I had previously tried.  

The first fig we tried was a wash, so we pulled the bait and moved it to another tree.

There the camera snapped only one photo, and strangely the toddy cat quit the tree before it reached the bait. 

I suspected the flash scared it away, but knew it would soon habituate if it was the same animal making its rounds. 

We decided to make the next set on a prostrate tree decorated with a fresh seed-filled scat, most probably the work of our omnivorous toddy cat. 

The location was made for camera trapping: there was a vertical pole to attach the camera, and the toppled trunk would be easily accessible to almost any small mammal. 

The only detraction was its location next to a trail used by villagers. 

We staked the chicken guts with a bamboo splint and covered them with a leaf. 

I had to leave for Rangoon the next day, but instructed the team to leave my two homebrews out for two more nights. 

A dedicated student took the night bus and delivered the cameras the morning before I flew home. 

The toddy cat had left 31 photos of its feast.  

My camera trapping venture in the Rakhine Yoma was over, but the cooperative toddy cat gave it a memorable ending.