New Device Could Change The Way Conservationists Respond To Poachers
Elephants, tigers and rhinos could all be saved from the threat of poaching by a collar which monitors their heart rates combined with a video camera and a global-tracking device. According to Paul O’Donoghue, chief scientific adviser for British conservation company Protect, the instant a poaching event occurs, the heart rate monitor will trigger an alarm that pinpoints the animal’s location within a few metres. This essentially means park rangers can be at the scene of the event within minutes by helicopter leaving not enough time for poachers to harvest the animal parts or make an escape.
Lots of animals being poached
Last year there were 1,215 rhinos illegally killed in South Africa which was a record. Since 2010 the elephant population in Tanzania has fallen by an astonishing 60 per cent as a result of increased poaching. The number of tigers left in the wild in countries such as India and Vietnam are falling. The good news is that Protect is ready to start testing the invention in the field.
“We finally have the technology to catch these people red handed, and if they know that, then they’ll think twice before killing another beautiful rhino. Finally we might have a fighting chance of saving this astonishing species from extinction.” Ricky Gervais, British comedian, actor and anti-poaching activist, said in the statement.
Device could be a game changer
Most of the last remaining rhinos in the world live in South Africa and poaching is on the rise. Demand for their horns has increased in countries such as Vietnam and China because of the misguided belief that they can cure diseases such as cancer. Dean Peinke, specialist mammal ecologist for the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency in South Africa says that it requires a lot of resources to patrol the vast landscapes and poachers still manage to find a way through. He adds that these devices may tip the balance in the conservationist favour. If poaching events can be identified as they happen, the response can be much faster and it may become possible to apprehend the poachers.
