A drone was used to help researchers from the Raine Island Recovery Project track and count the number of turtles migrating through the Great Barrier Reef off the Northeast coast of Australia. Previously the researchers would count the turtles from a boat by painting a white stripe on their shell.
A scientist at the Southern Cross University is using drones to monitor humpback whales due to the commercial exploitation they have faced over the last century. The drones will be used to capture key characteristics of the whales along the west and east coasts of Australia.
The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is using DJI drones equipped with infrared cameras to detect surviving koala populations in affected areas. The drones can automatically detect the heat signal from koalas, thanks to an algorithm built by QUT researchers.
Drones are being used on Kangaroo Island, Australia by the Humane Society International (HSI) to help with the search and rescue efforts taking place for the wildlife injured in the recent bushfires that swept the country. The drones are equipped with infrared cameras, zoom lenses, and spotlights for finding the animals, no matter what the condition.
Animal rescue group WIRES has partnered with Australian UAV to get drones into the air to measure and track the wildlife that managed to survive the devastating Australian bushfires. The Ripper Rescue Alliance has also been created and has deployed its drones to help with the massive task ahead.
Research with drones shows that Northwest killer whales are shrinking in size. Drone photos show how closely the health and size of the killer whales are related to the size of their favorite prey, big chinook salmon.
The crew from Seven Worlds One Planet used drones to show the wonders of the seven extraordinary continents. The unmanned aircraft were deployed in some of the most beautiful and hostile environments on earth and include the ice of Antarctica and the scorching heat of the deserts of Africa.
Drone footage helps scientists from the University of British Columbia study killer whale behavior as the unmanned aircraft provide a rare glimps into the underwater world off the coast of B.C. The video footage was released last Monday and represents the first time that drones have been used to study the behavior of the killer whales.
People are continuously finding new ways to use drones. Take a look at this example where biologists now use a drone to ‘weigh’ whales from above. I mean, we have seen researchers using drones to collect whale snot in the past, but to weigh a whale with help of an unmanned aircraft is novel.
A drone has captured the gorgeous sight of a rare blue whale and her calf swimming off the coast of San Diego, California. This is not the first time that blue whales have been captured with a drone. Almost exactly one year ago, we reported on another blue whale sighting.
Over the last few weeks or so, we came across this photo of a drone-catching eagle many, many times on social media. What is the background story here? Where did this photo come from? Snopes found out. Jump in to learn more.
Researchers from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia have developed a new method to monitor and observe koala bears. Koala-spotting drones outfitted with thermal cameras are more accurate and less invasive than traditional animal population monitoring techniques. We have seen other cases in which drones were used to monitor and count wildlife. What sets this method apart is that the Koalas hide below a thick canopy of leaves, making them much harder to spot.
Drones and big data. Unmanned aircraft can play a much bigger role in wildlife research and conservation. However, it turns out that most universities and researchers are not equipped or experienced to actually educate students and teach them the benefits that drones can offer. We have seen the Little Ripper, an Australian coastal patrol drone, that is already capable of distinguishing between swimmers, surfers, and sharks with the use of artificial intelligence. Similar technology can be used in wildlife research around the world. Read this story in the Guardian for more background.
A photographer with a massive lens was quick to capture an eagle attacking a DJI Mavic Air. Six spectacular photos show the ordeal as it took place in the air. The images were shared on Facebook and apparently, the eagle attacked the DJI Mavic Air three times before it finally got it.
A drone video helps to provide some sense of scale to this recent story in the NYT. 200 million (yes, million!) termite mounds that were hidden in plain sight in a remote part of the Brazilian forest, cover an area the size of Britain. Some of the mounds, garbage piles apparently, are estimated to be almost 4,000 years old.
Most of you will probably have seen the viral bear video that has been circulating on social media this week. National Geographic just posted an article that lets experts weigh in on the matter. Many scientists have expressed concerns about the way the viral bear video was shot. The drone footage was taken by Dmitry Kedrov on the coast of Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk last summer and shows a brown bear and her cub climbing a slippery snowy slope. Luckily it all ends well but not after the mother bear seemingly swats at the drone halfway through the video.
Scientists in Nepal use drone images to count critically endangered gharial and mugger crocodiles along the Babai River. Counting the animals by drone proved to be just as accurate as counting by ground survey teams. However, the drones were able to do it in less time and at a lower cost.
We reported briefly on Ocean Alliance before, but this video that the non-profit organization provided us with is simply too good not to be shared. The drone footage of the whales is amazing and also the innovative way these researchers have been able to use drones, is a great example of how these unmanned aircraft can be used for good in the world. DJI has acknowledged this as well and is an official partner for the not-for-profit. The organization uses an Inspire drone, called the SnotBot to capture the droplets with DNA as the whales exhale by flying the drone through the spray. Fascinating stuff!
Just this morning we came across this amazing video from Safari Live (National Geographic) that shows the Nkuhuma Pride of lions hunt at night in Kruger National Park in South Africa. The lions are being followed by one person (James Henry) in an open 4×4 and by a thermal drone. Watching the thermal drone footage provides a stunning view of the pride’s movement through the thick South African bush. At some point, you can actually see another smaller animal run away from the approaching pride.
Check out this spectacular drone footage of a blue whale mother and her calf. The footage was shot by Domenic Biagini near San Diego on June 26. Reportedly the whales were circling their boat and according to the San Diego Whale Watch, the calf might have been nursing.
In this latest video from DJI, we see how drones have become an invaluable tool in freeing whales from ocean debris such as lines and fishing nets. The people from Oceans Unmanned have teamed up with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and have started to use drones to assess the whale and the way the lines are wrapped around its body. The unmanned aerial systems provide a clear picture of the situation, before they approach the whale, minimizing the risk to the people on board the boat.
Check this video out. It was shot this month somewhere in the Swiss Alps and it shows who the real kings of the skies are. Hint it is not your drone!
Every spring, in what is one of the world’s largest migrations, thousands of great white sharks swim from along America’s West Coast to an area in the Pacific Ocean that is half-way in between San Diego and Hawaii. The area is about the size of Colorado and is known among marine biologists as the White Shark Cafe. Not much was known as to why the marine predators hang out here or what they are up to. However, this year we finally got some answers as two Saildrones were sent out there to monitor the great whites.
