Poachers, Conservationists Use Drones and GPS in Wildlife Battle

It's a decades-old war, but conservationists and poachers alike are using 21st century technology like GPS and drones in their fight to protect endangered wildlife on the planes of Africa. Now Namibia, an arid desert country on Africa's south-western coast that holds half the world's remaining black rhino population, is turning increasingly to hi-tech conservation. Ninety-six percent of the black rhino population has been wiped out since the 1970s. In Namibia, which has 79 conservation areas, no rhinos were lost to poachers between 2005 and 2010, and just one was killed in 2011. But in 2014 that number jumped to 24. Rhino horn can fetch as much as $43,000 per pound in Asia. Even de-horned rhinos have been taken by poachers, and the threat to Namibia's safe havens has conservationists up in arms and prompted the government to deploy army units against poachers. In their high-stakes battle against poachers, conservationists have turned to drones, which provide essential night-time surveillance through thermal imaging. But just as conservationists use modern technology, so too do poachers. Another high-tech tool, the "shot spotter" system, is being trialed in Kenya. It is made up of a series of microphones placed high in treetops that can detect gunshots up to two miles away and alert nearby rangers with coordinates. The system may not always prevent the kill, but poachers tend to leave evidence that makes prosecution easier if the site is reached quickly...more