He spoke in a barely audible voice to the GoPro on his chest, demonstrating live, "When tracking a porcupine, you can't rely solely on footprints."
"Their footprints can sometimes be erased by their own fur or dragging bodies. What you need to look for is a system of traces."
His gaze swept over a patch of snow and suddenly halted. He extended his gloved finger, pointing to a barely noticeable detail.
"Look here."
The camera zoomed in; it was a small cluster of black particles, like crushed wood chips scattered on the pristine snow.
"This is its droppings, fresh and not yet frozen solid. This indicates that we are very close to it."
"And there's urine traces there. The scent is still very clear." He pointed to another spot. By a low bush, there was a small yellowish mark on the snow.
Through these continually appearing physiological traces, Lin Yu'an quickly constructed in his mind the rough movement path and direction of this porcupine.
