Drones Help Conservationists

Here is a new use for drone technology- drones can be used to track threatened animals that have been fitted with GPS tags. And the tags can be networked to provide data on a whole pack of animals. The venture is called Technology for Nature and is the combined efforts of a Microsoft team, University College London, and the Zoological Society of London. The drones find the tagged animal, fly to it, and turn on their cameras to give researchers a view of what is going on. In the Republic of Congo, the Wildlife Conservation Society is preparing to use the drones to monitor the migration of hammerhead fruit bats, suspected carriers of the Ebola virus. In other parks in Africa the drone system will be used to study the effects of poaching and snaring on populations of Africa’s wild dogs and cheetahs which are hunted for their meat. Sensors also measure temperature, humidity, and elevation and can help researchers collect data over time that might indicate climate change and its altering effect on an animal’s range.

It seems to me that drones of one sort or another have been around for quite a while and are becoming even more sophisticated. Drones are here to stay and the drones helping conservationists track endangered or threatened species are making a positive impact.