Anti-Poaching Drones By Airware Prove To Successful At Protecting Endangered Species
The Next Weapon In The Fight Against Poaching? Drones.
Huffington Post UK
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Drones are not just for watching, killing and generally making people feel uneasy, they can also be put to much good use.
A San Francisco startup has just announced it has conducted successful trials using them to monitor poachers and protect endangered species in Africa.
The Airware control system consisting of two fixed-wing aircraft and one flexible wing drone was tested at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
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Rangers stand over the body of a rhino shot by poachers in the Kruger National Park, South Africa
Company CEO, Jonathan Downey, said: "They were designed to operate completely autonomously, well out of the line of sight of the pilot.
"Using drones allows them to spend a lot more time in the air, seeing a lot more detail, and for far cheaper than using traditional aircraft or jeeps.
The drones are equipped with infra-red camera's for night-time viewing and optical for the day.
Downey said: "Using infrared we can easily spot a campfire being used by poachers, who often come in to the park at night.
"The level of detail is such that we can see an elephant's trunk change from white to black after he takes a drink of cold water."
Downey is keen to demonstrate that drone technology can be used for positive purposes and not just the military applications we tend to hear about.
He told Techcrunch: "I think the more people that see these, the more comfortable they’ll be with someone coming to their house and doing a rooftop inspection using a small drone."
Ol Pejeta Conservancy raised $46,000 through an Indiegogo fundraising campaign to make the test possible but there are a number of issues to be resolved before it is fully adapted.
They said in a blog post: "While the Aerial RangerTM surpassed all expectations during its two-week African safari, there is still some way to go before it makes a regular appearance in the skies of Ol Pejeta.
"Ol Pejeta and Airware are committed to making the Aerial Ranger effective and long lasting, a challenge easier said than done as many testing UAVs in the field have learnt.
"While the sensors are tweaked, the screws tightened and the wires adjusted, wildlife conservationists everywhere can prepare themselves for a revolution."
Additionally the park provides a huge testing ground for drone technology not available in the US outside of a few heavily regulated sites.
Endangered Animals
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Three cheetah cubs, born in November 2004, lean against their mother during a preview showing at the National Zoo in February 2005 in Washington D.C. Today there are just 12,400 cheetahs remaining in the wild, with the biggest population, totaling 2,500 living in Namibia. (credit:Getty Images)
Baby Black Rhino(02 of16)
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A baby Black Rhinoceros stands in front of its mother in an enclosure at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo in June 2009. The Black Rhinoceros is a critically endangered species, according to the International Rhino Foundation there are less than 5,000 surviving in the world. (credit:Getty Images)
Orangutans(03 of16)
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An orangutan infant at Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta, Indonesia, on February 15, 2007. Orangutans are threatened by deforestation and hunting. Click here for more orangutan photos. (credit:Getty)
Koala (04 of16)
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A baby joey koala at Sydney's Wildlife World. Though koalas are Australia's most iconic and adored marsupials, they are under threat due to a shortage of suitable habitat from mass land clearance. (credit:Getty Images)
Gorilla Mother And Son(05 of16)
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A 15-year-old female mountain gorilla holds her five month old son at the Kahuzi Biega Nature Park in Democratic Republic of Congo in May 2004. Only 700 mountain gorillas are left in the world, and over half live in central Africa. (credit:AP)
African Penguins(06 of16)
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A group of African penguins gather near a pond at a conservation site in Cape Town, South Africa. Birdlife International say the African penguin is edging closer to extinction. (credit:Getty Images)
Endangered Tiger Cubs(07 of16)
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A Trio of 45 day-old Bengal white tiger cubs were born in December 2007 At the Buenos Aires Zoo. With only 240 white tigers living in the world, their birth gave a boost to the animals' endangered population. (credit:AP)
South Korea's Black Bears (08 of16)
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A pair of black bears sit at a zoo in Kwachon, South Korea in November 2001. Black bears have been on the endangered species list since 2007. (credit:Getty Images)
Madagascar Lemur(09 of16)
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A newly born Madagascar Lemur, an endangered species, at Besancon Zoo in France. There are only 17 living in captivity worldwide. (credit:Getty Images)
Red Pandas(10 of16)
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Two-month-old twin Red Panda cubs make their debut at Taronga Zoo in March 2007 in Sydney, Australia. The cubs were born out of an international breeding program for endangered species. (credit:Getty Images)
Lin Hui(11 of16)
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China's panda is one of the world's most beloved but endangered animals. Lin Hui, a female Panda- on a ten-year loan from China - eats bamboo at Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand in Sept 2005. Captive pandas are notoriously poor breeders. (credit:AP)
South East Asian Monkey(12 of16)
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The Sydney's Taronga Zoo is home for this bright orange male infant monkey. This South East Asian monkey is highly endangered. (credit:Getty Images)
Night Monkey(13 of16)
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A grey-bellied Night Monkey born in captivity climbs onto his mother's arms at the Santa Fe Zoo, in Medellin, Colombia. The Night Monkey is an endangered species. (credit:Getty Images)
Tigers(14 of16)
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A six-month-old male Sumatran tiger cub rests under his mother careful watch at the National Zoo in Washington in October 2004. Sumatran tigers are endangered; fewer than 500 are believed to exist in the wild and 210 animals live in zoos around the world. (credit:AP)
Elephants(15 of16)
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A baby elephant is pictured at the Singapore Zoo on Friday, Dec. 10, 2010. Many elephants are threatened by habitat loss and listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. (credit:AP)
Polar Bears(16 of16)
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A sow polar bear rests with her cubs on the pack ice in the Beaufort Sea in Alaska. In 2008, the U.S. government described polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Due to dangerous declines in ice habit, polar bears are at risk of becoming endangered. (credit:AP)