PROTECTING SPECIES LIKE ELEPHANTS AND RHINO WITH DRONES

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PROTECTING SPECIES LIKE ELEPHANTS AND RHINO WITH
DRONES
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• Sadly, in the time it will take you to read these
  words, yet another elephant or rhinoceros will
  have been tragically slain for its ivory and
  horn, in Africa. The threat they face from
  poachers is relentless and shows little sign of
  abating, and while the demand for ivory continues
  in countries like China, and the ridiculous
  desire for rhino horn remains prevalent in
  countries like Vietnam, efforts to combat the
  issue must be stepped up. Many believe that
  drones hold the answer to combating poachers, and
  heres why and how

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• Drones join the fight against poachers in Africa
• It may not matter what you think about drones
  when they are used for everyday purposes such as
  delivering packages or for recreation, when their
  use in helping to track and apprehend poachers is
  perhaps undisputable.
• That said, there is a huge problem to face when
  it comes to using drones in a country like
  Africa, which is so vast. Drones cant simply be
  launched and flown with the hope of finding
  something, their use needs to be more targeted.

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• Tackling the problem of where to fly drones in
  Africa
• In much the same way that scientists used
  technology to locate individuals planting IEDs
  or improvised explosive devices, their
  knowledge and experience has been applied to the
  problem of tackling poachers. They conducted
  studies into the behaviour and movement of
  poachers, along with how animals, rangers and
  drones move through space and time
  simultaneously. Using the very best satellite
  imagery, complicated mathematics and highly
  complicated algorithms, scientists and
  researchers have been able to determine where
  animals at risk from poachers are most likely to
  be on any given night (since most instances of
  poaching occur during the hours of darkness).

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• Knowing where the animals are gives the best
  clues as to where the poachers might be, and
  using infrared cameras attached to drones, the
  UAVs can alert trackers to the poachers
  location or at the very least, where they are
  most likely to be coming from to attack the
  animals.
• Put in its simplest form, scientists are trying
  to recreate the environment as it might be on a
  typical night for poachers, to enable them to
  identify patterns of behaviour that may help them
  in the future. This data is collected and
  superimposed on satellite imagery of the area,
  enabling them to create maps giving them the best
  idea of where rangers should be strategically
  placed, and whether to fly drones that night.

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• UAVs can detect heat movement in actual time,
  such as animals moving across the plains or
  poachers approaching, and since they are powered
  by batteries, they are virtually silent and can
  fly for long distances in a short period of time.
• Can the use of drones also act as a deterrent?
• Absolutely! Poachers have subsequently discovered
  that their movements can be detected during the
  hours of nightfall, and they are more than aware
  that this has increased the chances of them being
  arrested or even shot and killed. As a result,
  many poachers now feel it to be too risky to hunt
  the animals and kill them for their ivory or
  horns.

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• The fight to save our animals and to protect them
  from poachers is ongoing, but drones have made a
  positive impact on reducing poaching numbers
  already, and with the appropriate technology and
  research, scientists and activists believe that
  they can continue to help save them.
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