Nepal: In order to save endangered tigers and rhinos from poachers, WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Nepal will use GPS-powered drone aircrafts, Bangkok Post reported. The remote-controlled aircraft, being used for the first time in Nepal, would monitor the animals and poachers via cameras and GPS to capture images and video, according to WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Nepal.
The aircraft, with a two-metre (6.5-foot) wing span and a range of 25 kilometres (15.5 miles), can stay in the air for 45 minutes, flying at an altitude of up to 200 metres.
“WWF Nepal has been introducing new science and technology to aid ongoing conservation efforts in Nepal. The conservation drones are the latest addition,” said Anil Manandhar, the organisation’s representative in Kathmandu.
“We believe that this technology will be instrumental in monitoring Nepal’s flagship species and curbing illegal wildlife trade.”
The organisation further said that it had successfully tested two unmanned “conservation drones” earlier this month in Chitwan National Park, in Nepal’s southern plains, the home of a number of the world’s rarest animals.
Source: Bangkok Post
