Wildlife Stories April 17
Drones are being used to monitor deforestation and to track malaria-carrying macaque monkeys deep in the Malaysian forests. Especially in Borneo, there has been a surge in the deadly ‘monkey malaria’, with the disease accounting for 69% of all the human malaria cases in Malaysia. With the help of drones outfitted with infrared cameras, researchers of the Monkey Bar Project are able to better track the monkeys through the forest and ultimately slow down the spreading of the disease.
Wildlife Stories April 15
More and more wildlife researchers and scientists are turning to drones to observe animals. Drones are in almost all cases a safer and more affordable option to observe wildlife. Ecologist and FAA certified drone pilot from Fort Myers, Church Roberts recently used his drone to study the rookery on little Lenore Island, on the Caloosahatchee River in Florida.
Wildlife Stories April 6
The use of drones is becoming more prevalent in the study and observation of wildlife. In almost all cases, drones are better suited for the job than traditional airplanes and helicopters. In this example, a team of people from the Cabo Verdean Eco-Tourism Association, who research whales used the very small and affordable DJI Mavic Air to capture photo and video footage of a humpback whale mother and her newborn in the Cabo Verde archipelago.
Wildlife Stories March 6
A group of researchers has discovered one of the largest colonies of Adélie penguins on the Danger Islands of Antarctica. This ‘super-colony’ is believed to consist out of 751,527 breeding pairs of Adélie penguins. How would one count such a large group of animals? Well, with the help of drones and neural network software.
Wildlife Stories December 4, 2017
We already know that drones are used in more creative ways than for which they were intended. Herding sheep, or spreading propaganda, for instance, are both good examples. In this video posted on Fire Island and Beyond, we have an NY fisherman who uses his drone to successfully locate a school of striped bass off Fire Island. Needless to say, it made catching the feeding fish really easy.
Wildlife Stories December 1, 2017
NOAA reports that drones help improve the scientific research on Antarctic species such as leopard seal by taking photos from straight above. Since the leopard seals feed on Antarctic krill – small, shrimp-like crustaceans, the size and weight of the seals are a good indication of the Antarctic ecosystem as a whole. In the past researcher would spend hours searching for leopard seals, catching them and immobilizing them so that they could be weighed. Keep in mind that weighing these large mammals in icy conditions is no easy task.
