Adam Yaney-Keller; May 28th, 2020

Nearly 80% of the world’s remaining white and black rhinoceros’ populations are in South Africa, making the country both a sanctuary for rhinos and a target for poachers^[1]. Nearly 1,000 rhinos were killed each year between 2013 and 2017, and although poaching has decreased since then, so has the overall population^{[1] [2] [3]}. While many new technologies are being employed in the fight against poaching, the main line of defense remains foot and vehicle patrols ^[4]. However, these patrols can be dangerous, and even deadly for the rangers^{[4] [5]}. A team of researchers, led by Professors Adam Hart and Anne Goodenough from the University of Gloucestershire in the UK, sought to determine whether Infrared Thermography or IRT, might be a useful tool for making these patrols safer and more effective. 

IRT works by remotely sensing temperature, giving the user a visual of heat sources in their environment. “Think of it like a...

At Wildlifetek, we love using technology to better understand and conserve wildlife, so when we had the opportunity to visit the Las Pumas Rescue Centre & Sanctuary in Costa Rica we jumped at the chance. With COVID-19 shutting down many of our wildlife travel plans, it’s not been as easy for us to do the work we love. Likewise, it’s been a tough time for wildlife organisations who rely on funding from visitors to do their work that is so vital to wildlife conservation. Las Pumas is now using technology to help get around some of these issues by offering virtual tours of their centre, enabling those of us who are grounded to experience and better understand wildlife while raising vital funds for their conservation work.

Bruno - a puma. He was kidnapped from the den at one month old and sold as an illegal pet to be displayed as a tourist attraction. He arrived at Las Pumas in 2012 at six months old.

Our amazing tour guide, Virginia Pelayo, gave us a warm...