There seems to be a ray of hope for endangered wild rhinos, which currently face extinction due to poaching over the next 10 years. A British team has developed a new system to help catch and stop poachers, reported the BBC.
The Real-time Anti-Poaching Intelligence Device, aka RAPID, includes a hidden camera that is embedded into the rhino's horn, a heart-rate monitor linked to an alarm and a satellite-tracking device to allow authorities to scramble a helicopter as soon as a rhino is killed. The images from the camera inside the animal's horn would then be used to provide evidence against the poachers. Researchers are hopeful that the system, which could also be adapted to fit animals like elephants and tigers, will be trialed in South Africa by early next year, reported the Independent.
This means, if poachers do manage to get to the animals, rangers will be able to send a helicopter to their location within minutes, and they'll have video footage to help catch and convict them, preventing them from committing further wildlife crimes.
"Currently, a rhino is butchered every six hours in Africa. We had to find a way to protect these animals effectively in the field—the killing has to be stopped," said Chester University's Dr. Paul O'Donoghue, who is also the chief scientific adviser for Protect, in a press release. "With this device, the heart-rate monitor triggers the alarm the instant a poaching event occurs, pinpointing the location within a few meters so that rangers can be on the scene, via helicopter or truck within minutes, leaving poachers no time to harvest the valuable parts of an animal or make good an escape. You can't outrun a helicopter, the Protect RAPID renders poaching a pointless exercise."
Humane Society International, which is working with the government of Vietnam to reduce demand for rhino horn, has supported the development of the device. "Reducing market demand is critical to safeguard wildlife long-term, but it needs to be coupled with urgent, effective action to stop the current poaching crisis," said Claire Bass, executive director of HSI UK. "The Protect RAPID could be a game changer in the increasingly desperate fight against poaching, and the technology has the potential to be applied to other critically endangered species," reported Science Alert.
