14 DAY TRIAL // Although first and foremost used for military purposes, it seems that drones (i.e. small aircrafts without a human pilot on board) are now being used to safeguard the endangered species living within the boundaries of Nepal's national parks.
Outraged by the fact that poaching activities in Nepal more often than not remain unhindered, leaders and members of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) decided to invest in providing conservationists here with such aerial vehicles.
Apparently, drones already proved their reliability in other environmental campaigns, such as tracking down orangutans in Indonesia and keeping an eye on Malaysia's and Tanzania's wildlife.
However, they are now to focus on monitoring poachers. Hopefully, this will considerably diminish illegal hunting activities in the southern plains of Nepal.
According to Good Environment, tigers and rhinos are the ones that most need our help in not becoming extinct, but other species will also benefit from this project.
The same source informs us that WWF's Conservation Drones can cover distances of up to 12.5 miles (25 kilometers) in just 45 minutes, and are powered by rechargeable electric batteries, which means that this technology is in itself environmentally friendly.
As well as this, they only cost about $2,500 each (about €2,000), so one might argue that they are quite affordable.
Tree Hugger reports that these drones come fully equipped with cameras and GPSs, and can therefore record and take pictures of all that is happening in Nepal's national parks.
Anil Manandhar, a member of WWF, explained that “WWF Nepal has been introducing new science and technology to aid ongoing conservation efforts in Nepal; the Conservation Drones are the latest addition.”
He also added that “We believe that this technology will be instrumental in monitoring Nepal’s flagship species and curbing illegal wildlife trade.”
Presently, the only problem that WWF has to deal with is teaching local conservationists to operate these green-oriented drones.