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Deploying Drones to Combat Poachers

April 15, 2014

With Nepal’s Bengal tigers in danger of extinction, rangers in the Chitwan region are turning to aerial drones to hunt poachers. The film material shot from above makes it easier to track down suspicious movements in the National Park.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Bhu7
The pilot project in Nepal was set up in 2012 by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The Chitwan National Park on the border with India is home to leopards, rhinos and Bengal tigers. Protecting the animals is a difficult task, but is now being made easier by a new drone steered via smartphone. It has GPS and fitted cameras to patrol the conservation area. The drone helps rangers see suspicious movements, and act quickly. Poaching has decreased dramatically since the introduction of the unmanned aerial police force. The population of the Bengal tiger, for example, has grown by more than 60% over the last four years.