Drone Rescue Effort to be Attempted for Dogs Trapped by Volcanic Eruption in Spain

Isabella James, Tech Times 20 October 2021, 02:10 am

A drone will attempt to rescue dogs stranded due to the lava flowing from a volcano on the island of La Palma in Spain.

Aerocamaras, a Spanish drone operator, received the approval to conduct the rescue attempt and the company's CEO acknowledges the risks of such efforts, including the possibility that the drone's battery will run out in the middle of the rescue attempt.

Test flights are still being conducted by the drone operator. The success of the operation will depend highly on whether or not the dogs will come to the drone in order to be rescued.

Drone Rescue Effort for Trapped Dogs

(Photo : Getty Images )

A drone will attempt to rescue a couple of dogs that have been trapped for weeks by the lava from a volcano on the island of La Palma in Spain.

According to a report by Reuters, drones have been used to feed the trapped dogs, but no one has figured out how to rescue the animals until the drone rescue attempt was approved by the authorities.

Aerocamaras, a Spanish drone operator, will be the one to conduct the rescue effort and its CEO, Jaime Pereira, said "it's the first time an animal is being rescued with a drone and the first time it has to be captured."

"If that's the last option that the dogs have? Then we're going after them," the CEO told Reuters.

Helicopters have not been allowed to fly in due to the volcanic gas and ash that can cause damage to a helicopter's rotors.

Risks of the Rescue Operation

Considering the circumstances, the rescue operation is proving to be a risky one.

According to a report by Digital Trends, the dogs can only be rescued one at a time due to the weight limit that the drone can carry. Once a dog has been lured into the net that the drone has with it, the drone has to fly up to 1,500 feet over the lava to bring the dog to safety.

The Aeroacamaras CEO has told Reuters that he is concerned that the drone will run out of battery in the middle of the operation. He also said that there is a four-minute time limit to get each dog into the net in order to rescue it.

Another risk factor for the operation is the dog's actual willingness to be rescued.

"They might come, or become scared of the drone. We really depend on their reaction," Pereira told Reuters.