April 13, 2015 01:41 UTC

As It Is

Could Drones Help Save Rhinos in South Africa?

Since 2008, hunters have illegally killed more than 3,000 rhinos in South Africa. The
International Union for Conservation of Nature warns that rhinos may disappear by 2026.
People who hunt and kill illegally are called poachers. The most effective way to watch for
illegal hunting is from the air. But piloted flights are costly. Now, some Spanish college
students have designed a drone that can look for poachers. And the drone can observe
more places than a plane or helicopter.
Arnau Garcia is an aeronautical engineering student at the Polytechnic Institute of
Catalonia, in Spain. He says observers from air have trouble finding poachers when they
hide under the trees.
Mr. Garcia and other students have worked with the drone manufacturer HEMAV to help
them find the hidden poachers. They do this by using thermal cameras, which are
sensitive to body heat.
Mr. Garcia and his team members designed a drone made with Styrofoam and an electric
motor. The drone can fly in winds up to 55 kilometers per hour. It has an autopilot
system, so it memorizes the flight path. The drone also has microphones, cameras and a
GPS system. This permits it to report exactly where a picture was taken.
After each flight, drones bring back information about where rhinos were found, the
conditions of water and vegetation in the area, and the positions of suspected poachers.
Carlos Ferraz works at HEMAV. Mr. Ferraz says drones can fly 90 kilometers per hour and
as far as 70 kilometers from their base. He says that means that they could quickly
observe large areas for poachers. He says the same search operation would take days for
human observer.
And, Mr. Ferraz notes cost effectiveness with drone use. He says South African national
park officials could fill the air with drones for the same cost as renting one helicopter.
Im Caty Weaver.