As every birth or death of an endangered animal is looked upon with much scrutiny, (I hope), it is heart warming to see people continuing to find better ways of observing and tracking the wild populations in order to understand what their needs are so that humans and animals can coexist on this planet without facing extinction.
You are probably familiar with the radio collars that are used to keep track of animals and their movements within their habitat. With these collars they can track what areas they frequent or avoid and then investigate these areas to better understand their needs. These systems are used in the giant panda reserves in China.
Here is another system that may play as important a role as the radio collar, the use of drones. I don't know if drones would be applicable to giant pandas or not.
If you are like me, you probably keep up with many different kinds animals around the world and are dismayed with the news of some species whose numbers continue to decline year after year.
It is encouraging to see people being creative in their efforts to closely monitor animals that live in complex ecosystems that are difficult to access as well as present vital evidence of their existence and outside influences that may affect them.
Eye in the Sky: Drones Help Conserve Sumatran Orangutans and Other Wildlife
John R. Platt | September 27, 2012 |
What better way to study the world’s largest arboreal animals than by putting an eye in the sky?
A team of scientists working in Indonesia has done just that by launching inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicles (aka drone airplanes), to study critically endangered Sumatran from above the treetops. The technology is already being put into use in other conservation projects around the world.
Continue reading this article at it source: Scientific American.
