Officials Say That Drone Usage is Stressing out Wildlife

Officials Say That Drone Usage is Stressing out Wildlife



Wildlife officers urge the public to take wildlife into consideration as drone usage is increasing stress on wildlife.

There have been several recurring cases of people using drones to hunt and/or harass wildlife, violating the CPW Commission Regulations as well as the Federal Airborne Hunting Act.

CPW Field Services Assistant Director, Heather Dugan, said, “The bottom line is, if it’s related to a hunt in any way, you can’t do it. For scouting, locating, anything.

If they fly before they take an animal, they’re illegal. If they use the drone to locate an animal they may have shot and wounded, they’re illegal.”

This year it is reported that there are 3.5 million small drone hobbyists in the US, with many people flying drones in areas where they can harass wildlife.

Dugan said, “The definition of harassment is causing any change in the behavior of the wildlife. So, if the animal runs, if it changes direction, if it stops eating, that’s harassment. Any change in the animal is considered harassment and it’s illegal.”

Drone usage can be a huge threat to wildlife if used irresponsibly. This can include flying too close to wildlife or following wildlife.

This is especially dangerous and stressful for animals who are protecting their babies, eating, or being hunted.

Anyone who flies drones should do so responsibly and understand the effect that they can have on wildlife.

This article by Abigail Jane was first published by OneGreenPlanet on 13 September 2021. Lead Image Source : Jason Blackeye/Unsplash.


What you can do

Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you.


payment

Fighting for Wildlife supports approved wildlife conservation organizations, which spend at least 80 percent of the money they raise on actual fieldwork, rather than administration and fundraising. When making a donation you can designate for which type of initiative it should be used – wildlife, oceans, forests or climate.

Dive in!

Discover hidden wildlife with our FREE newsletters

We promise we’ll never spam! Read our Privacy Policy for more info

Supertrooper

Founder and Executive Editor

Share this post with your friends




Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

5 Comments