(WOW) Predator becomes prey: Google-funded drones to hunt poachers

[Playinghardball]

Google has awarded a $5 million grant to the World Wildlife Fund to use and adapt new technologies to combat animal poaching around the world. The group has grand plans for the money, which will be used for everything from camera-equipped drones to next-generation animal tags that send text messages with critical information to rangers.

"We needed to find other ways where we could detect and deter poachers," Crawford Allan, head of wildlife trade organization TRAFFIC North America and one of the WWF's on-call experts, told NBC News. "It's been fairly rudimentary in places where there are very precious species to protect."

Poacher operations have grown in scale and sophistication, despite efforts to curb them. Rhinos used to be poached at a rate of 15 or 20 per year in Africa — but now, because of high demand for rhino horn coming primarily from Asia, over 600 have been killed this year alone. Statistics for elephants and tigers are equally disturbing.

Enter Google, which awarded the Washington, D.C.-based WWF the grant as part of Google's Global Impact Awards: a larger, $23 million effort to fund tech uptake in areas like preservation and humanitarian endeavors. Allan describes the grant as an incredible opportunity.

"We could have just gone on business as usual, making small steps," he said. "But now that we have a major partner in Google, we can finally take some big steps."

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/predator-becomes-prey-google-funded-drones-hunt-poachers-africa-1C7456194

[RKP5637]

1. K&R !!! n/t

[Politicalboi]

2. Cool!

Too bad we can't blow them to smithereens.

[Samjm]

3. Yes!

Great news!

From the article:
"Rhinos used to be poached at a rate of 15 or 20 per year in Africa — but now, because of high demand for rhino horn coming primarily from Asia, over 600 have been killed this year alone. "

South Africa is home to almost the entire remaining Black Rhino population in the world. The poaching is horrific. They send people out on game drives who then send a text message with the exact gps location of the rhino. The poachers are in and out in 15 minutes leaving a dead rhino behind. In broad daylight, in the middle of National Parks with tourists everywhere.

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