Drones Used in India to Protect Endangered Species

Drones, drones, drones.  Ever since these things were given a release date, this has become one of those hot topics that everyone talks about, most know little about, and I am absolutely sick of. However, amid the plethora of repetitive drone articles and news reports about "country x thinking of maybe using drones possibly," there is a very interesting application of this ubiquitous technology, one that actually makes sense, could solve multiple problems, and save baby rhinoceroses.

Run, my magnificent beast, run.
(sketchfun.edublogs.org)

All right, to be fair, not all of the rhinoceroses being saved are babies, but they are my favorite type of infant (as far as mammals are concerned).  All irrelevance aside, the International Business Times reported a case wherein wildlife officials in India are utilizing remote-controlled airborne drones as a tool to keep their endangered species of rhinoceroses from being poached.

The officials at Kaziranga National Park, in the province of Assam, said that the drone technology will help reduce the number of rhinoceroses killed.  To put the problem into perspective, last year, this area sustained 22 rhinoceros deaths; only 4 months into the new year, there have been 16 killed.

Of course, the reason these adorable creatures are being slaughtered is due to the allure of their horns, both with respect to jewelry and supposed "medicinal properties."  Even more imperative, the Assam area also holds 2/3 of the entire world's population of rhinoceroses.

With the first flight of this technology in India being successful, there is no doubt that this will be able to lead to a much safer habitat for the rhinoceroses.  However, the Kaziranga Park rangers are now being armed as a result of the increase in poaching.

Some civil rights activists worry that arming the rangers is going to lead to an increase in deaths, as 13 poachers were killed within the past 3 years.  The problem is that all 13 people may not have been poachers.  However, I believe, as do many others, that drone technology may, despite how the news portrays it, actually be a technology that both sides of a conflict can agree on, as less people die and less rhinoceroses as well.