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A28
SCIENCEWednesday 24 February
In South Africa, drones used to battle rhino poaching
CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA
Associated Press
HLUHLUWE-IMFOLOZI GAME
RESERVE, South Africa (AP)
— In hills where Zulu royalty
once hunted wildlife, South
African conservationists
now scan live video from
a thermal-imaging camera
attached to a drone, look-
ing for heat signatures of
poachers stalking through
the bush to kill rhinos.
The unarmed drone, which
resembles a model air-
plane, flies several miles (ki-
lometers) from a van where
an operator toggles a
customized video-gaming
control, zooming and swiv-
eling the craft’s camera.
The nocturnal surveillance
in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game
Reserve comes amid inter-
national discussion about
whether technology, par-
ticularly drones, will make
a real difference in anti-
poaching efforts that often
rely on the “boots on the
ground” of rangers on pa-
trol.
Several years ago, drones
were touted by some as a
silver bullet for conserva-
tion, but some experiments
have foundered. Even so,

In this photo taken Monday, Feb. 15, 2016 a drone is prepared to try to avoid being spot- observed by an Associ-
for launching in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve in the ted by drones or use infor- ated Press team, opera-
KwaZulu Natal province. mants to monitor drone tors looked for heat-emit-
teams and learn when the ting objects that appear
Associated Press skies are clear. white and vertical on the
“They have great poten- screen, similar in shape to
drone technology is de- — In Africa, where the tial,” Wilkie said of drones. a rice grain. Three vertical
World Wildlife Fund is ex- “I think they’re not there rice grains are a giveaway
veloping quickly and the ploring the use of drones yet.” Wilkie said that while because poachers often
and other anti-poaching- groups with limited bud- work in threes — a tracker,
aircraft have been used technologies, using funding gets often opt for types of a shooter with a heavy-
from Google. drones used by hobbyists. caliber rifle and a carrier
around the world, includ- “It’s a very dynamic battle A military-grade, aluminum with supplies and an axe
space where the poachers drone with a powerful en- to hack off rhino horn for
ing: are continually responding gine and sophisticated ra- eventual sale on an illegal
to advances intechnolo- dar that can look through Asian market.
— In Belize, where the Wild- gies,” said Arthur Holland canopy and detect metal The operators didn’t spot
Michel, co-director at the — a poacher’s car or mo- any suspected poachers
life Conservation Society Center for the Study of the torcycle, for example — or need to notify rangers
Drone at Bard College in could be more effective, by phone or radio, though
helped deploy drones to Annandale-on-Hudson, he said. they saw horizontal heat
New York. Searching for poachers signatures from wildlife, in-
successfully monitor a pro- Poachers could, for exam- with drones in Africa’s vast cluding a rhino and a calf.
ple, seek vegetation cover wildlife reserves can seem Flights can last more than
tected reef area for illegal like a needle-in-a-haystack two hours, focusing on pe-
operation. Costs mount, rimeter fences and other
fishing, according to Da- crashes are frequent, areas where poachers
equipment breaks down, might be.
vid Wilkie, director of con- rain or high wind can scrap “All we’ve learned to do is
a mission and even before to fly and to live in the bush.
servation measures for the operations start, legal and It can only get better from
bureaucratic obstacles here,” said Otto Werdmuller
group. must often be overcome in Von Elgg, director of UDS, a
countries that tightly regu- fledgling South African firm
— In Indonesia, where late airspace. that operates the drone
In a drone mission in team in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi.
drones have surveyed Hluhluwe-iMfolozi recently
threatened orangutan
habitats.