Drone Technology Keeps Australia's Wildlife Safer

Staff Reporter, Tech Times 03 June 2020, 02:06 am

There's a big threat to Australia's wildlife: diseases and bushfires. The home of koala bears, kangaroos, and the Great Barrier Reef is facing a challenge due to changing environments. Fortunately, there is technology to help save their habitat.

Drone technology is being used to track the movement of wildlife, thus making them safer and giving them a chance to live more, BBC reported.

BBC's team of reporters headed over to the wilderness with the equipment to monitor the lives of kangaroos and other creatures. With the drones and the imaging monitor, they were able to see kangaroos scattered in the area.

"They really stand out against the background," said one of the team members.

They filmed before sunrise in the coldest part of the day, also to ensure that the cameras are working perfectly well. They also want to survey huge areas of land when they start early.

Drones are unmanned aircraft, usually known as "flying robots" that are remotely controlled or fly independently, provided there are software-managed flight plans--these function alongside GPS and onboard sensors.

Thermal imaging

Meanwhile, thermal imaging was also utilized to identify these creatures. Flight operations manager Mark Phillips said, "Different animals show up in different temperatures... It is a matter of picking them out."

In the video, they were able to see the movement of kangaroos from mid-air above, leaping across the fields.

Aside from kangaroos, some experts also utilize drones to monitor koalas. With computer vision, they detect these animals. Thermal imagery and algorithms work together.

According to SaveTheKoala.com data, the Australian Koala Foundation estimates that there are now less than 100,000 koalas remaining in Australia's wildlife, and could even be down to about 43,000.

The workings of these drones will not overtake what human beings can do, but with the algorithms continuously being explored, they might reportedly reduce the effort from these people, the report added.

Cattle health

Other researchers are also using drones to monitor cattle, and in turn, minimize the effects of health challenges these creatures experience. With these drones, they are able to monitor the cattle and be advised on threats that may lead to their deaths.

Aside from these, they also monitor herd volume and the activities of these cattle in the field. More so, the devices also estimate the weight of these cows through photography and three-dimensional imagery.

To ensure they are of the best health, the devices also record heart rate with the help of GPS. Through this, they can visualize and precisely note how much these cattles are running, or if they are active in the field or not.

It cannot save the Australian and United States wildlife as a whole but can reduce the number of losses. Thus, saving these ranchers their finances and time.

Australia is home to a rich biodiversity, with native species including cane toad, numbat, Tasmanian devil, the saltwater crocodile, Tiger quoll, Malleefowl, and more. The country is where travelers can find various parks and the Great Barrier Reef. Eighty-three percent of Australian species are mammals, 90 percent are fish, and around 93 percent are amphibians.