How Drones Solve Wildlife Mysteries

We don’t even know half of what goes on in the animal world and why animals behave the way they do. We can assume, but that doesn’t mean we have too many cold, hard facts. The problem is, animals are far more intuitive than we are, plus most of them have a better sense of smell, so if you’re a researcher lurking in a bush, trying to gather data, some animal is bound to sniff your presence. 

What happens then? They either run or they just don’t behave the way they normally would because there’s a weird human looking at them. Unless it’s a lion you’re stalking, then get ready to be their lunch. But all jokes aside, if you want real information, you have to find a way to observe the animal kingdom without disturbing them. 

Enter drones. Drones haven’t been here for long and they’ve already completely changed the way researchers track animals, gather data, and they’ve solved many mysteries that once seemed unsolvable. 

Let’s see how drones can crack some of nature’s most puzzling cases. 

Drones and Wildlife Tracking

A conservationist on the field can gather a lot of data and they can help us understand animals a lot better than we did before. However, they’re no match for a drone. With aerial views, thermal imaging, GPS mapping, and high-resolution cameras, drones can do things humans can only dream about. Modern technology now allows researchers to track animals across large areas and terrains that are difficult (or impossible) to reach, especially on foot. 

Take a dense forest or a far away region. Traditional tracking methods won’t do you a lot of good in those conditions, but with drones, you get real-time data that can guide search-and-rescue operations. For example, deer are notoriously shy and hard to track. After a natural disaster or disruptions caused by migrations, drone deer recovery missions have allowed researchers to find and help injured or lost animals. 

Drones have also helped find migration routes and revealed patterns that have made it easier to preserve habitats. They were even able to reduce the number of vehicle collisions on major roads. 

Along with tracking, drones are perfect for observing animals from a distance, without disturbing them. Researchers were able to use drones to capture rare footage of nocturnal and/or shy species and they managed to get information about their lives. 

Drones in Action

Today, it would be difficult for researchers and conservationists to even imagine how their work would get done without drones. Here’s why they’re so useful. 

1. Thermal Imaging

This feature makes it possible for drones to detect heat signatures. This means it becomes easier to spot animals in dense vegetation or those that are active during the night. Thermal imaging is especially useful for locating endangered species in forests or keeping an eye on nocturnal predators. 

For example, researchers in Africa have used thermal imaging to track and monitor lions in protected reserves. They were able to study their hunting behavior without disturbing the lions’ natural routines. 

1. Aerial Survey

Drones that have high-res cameras and GPS mapping systems can conduct large-scale aerial surveys, so researchers can create detailed maps of habitats and they can track migration routes more easily. 

This has been very useful in Africa, where conservationists were able to use it to track elephant migrations over big savannahs and respond to changes in habitats that were caused by climate shifts. 

1. Anti-Poaching

Poaching is a huge threat to wildlife, especially for species like rhinos and pangolins. Drones are able to provide 24/7 surveillance and detect anything illegal. For example, drones helped prevent poaching in Nepal’s Chitwan National Park. Park rangers intercepted poachers thanks to the information from real-time drone footage, and they managed to save endangered rhinos. 

1. Assessing Environmental Dangers

Drones are a huge help in assessing and responding to environmental dangers. Drones can detect wildfires, keep an eye on flood ones, and even assess oil spills. After Australia’s catastrophic bushfires in 2020, drones were deployed to see how much damage has been done, find koalas that survived, and guide rescue teams to areas where animals were at most risk. 

Conclusion

When you think of drones, you probably have a clear picture in your mind – tiny little robots, flying around, recording everything around them. And even though that picture is actually accurate, drones do a lot more than just surveying. 

Nature is full of mysteries and we’ll never find out all of them, but thanks to drones, we know more than ever. And what’s even better is that we can help more than ever. Observation is important for research, but what good is it to sit around and watch if we can’t help when animals need us most? 

Thanks to drones, not only can we help animals in need, but we can protect them from poachers, accidents, and environmental disasters.