New Technology to help Protect Rhinos
A farmer who cares for rhinos in South Africa has come up with an innovative new method to stop poachers from attacking the beautiful creatures for their horns. Clive Vivier is the co-founder of the ‘Zululand’ rhino park in the KwaZulu-Natal province, just north of Durban, and plans to use American surveillance drones to combat the poachers.
Clive plans to buy 30 of the Arcturus T-20 drones and put them into the South African sky to protect the endangered species in his area, and has already been granted permission by the US state department. He now just needs clearance from local aviation authorities to begin his technological solution to the widespread poaching that is causing rhino numbers to slip closer to extinction.
More than 650 rhinos have already been killed this year, more than ever before, and Clive sees his innovative new security method as a groundbreaking way to not only help the local rangers, but also bring the heat down on the poachers.
Clive said –
We’re now eating into our capital of rhino. From here they are heading rapidly towards extinction. Despite all our efforts, we’re just historians recording the demise of a species. We don’t have the numbers on the ground to see people and stop them killing the animals. We need to change the rules of the game. We need technology. The only thing that can see these people before they do the dirty deed is surveillance drones. The drones are economical to fly and will get us information at a very low cost. We need this technology to put us in a position to catch the guys. We need to do it before they kill rhino. The drone is, in my opinion, the only solution. It is highly sophisticated and can see things no other technology can.
The unmanned Arcturus T-20 has a 17ft wingspan, and can fly without having to refuel for an amazing 16 hours. They are virtually inaudible from the height that they fly at, 15,000 feet, and use infrared sensors to pick out movement at any time of the day or night. Poachers won’t know they’ve been seen by the drones, but once they have been spotted they will be easy to track down and arrest.
This is a quite brilliant way to help save rhinos from extinction before it’s too late, so good luck to Clive and his team in South Africa. If you would like to help save the rhino, you can do so by adopting one through our dedicated charity page to this amazing endangered animal. For a small monthly fee you too can play a part in helping to save the rhino from extinction.