India using drones to protect rhinos from poachers

[Ayush]

we have the 'real' drones...

 

[ExtraOdinary]

I guess it would continue to be a Sword vs Shield type of contest between the park rangers and the poachers in terms of technology. The root problem is obviously the multi billion dollar traditional medicine market in China. The Chinese have banned tiger/rhino bone based medicines only in theory and not in actual practice. Everything possible has to be done to prevent these not so gentle giants from meeting the fate of the Indian Cheetah .

 

[zootinali]

What time of the year ???

November is the best time

 

[MINK]

India has been using technology to preserve endangered species. Especially for large national park, these technologies play an important role.

Seen this in practical. technologies for communication, animal tracking, counting and study of behavior.

First time I've seen drones used to protect life rather than destroy it. Well done India, at least maintaining some principles of Gandhi to the present day.

Also, our Southeast Asian and Chinese brothers need to exert pressure on their governments to crack down harder on smuggling of rhino horn. it is a backwards tradition, we must all move away from it and realize that need of the hour is to protect what few species we have left from going extinct.

India has not played any major part (if any) in this project. All the credits go to Google and WWF. This actually part of WWF's Anti-poaching initiative. Google has recently donated $5 million dollar to WWF to develope conservation drone.

Google puts $5M toward anti-poaching drone technology - MONGABAY

India is actually a rather late entrant when it comes to using high-tech gadgets in wildlife conservation. South Africa is using far more advanced drone for Anti-poaching measures. Even Nepal has started using drone well before India.

Nepal To Use Drone Aircraft To Combat Poaching Of Endangered Species

Saving the rhino in South Africa with US military drones

So do these drones provide real time or recorded footage? Good step btw, I hope Rhinos are also relocated to other sanctuaries in MP, UP, Rajasthan 'coz having 2000+ rhinos in Kaziranga is like putting all your eggs in one basket.

Rhino already exists in UP. And as far as MP and Rajasthan are concerned these states were never been part of Rhino's distribution range.