WWF rescue operation – animal rights activists use drones to watch over elephants

Criminal networks are turning elephant protection into an international challenge. To stop poaching, it is necessary to expand protected areas worldwide and to strictly monitor them,” Georg Scattolin, a species protection expert at WWF, told “Krone”.

The animal drama also has its origins in the fact that tropical forests and savannahs are increasingly being destroyed by human settlements and agricultural areas. This means that the habitats of the elephants are shrinking. This in turn forces the pachyderms to look for food sources on farms, settlements and plantations. In doing so, they destroy human property and are killed in retaliation.

“Conflicts with humans are common. That is why it is crucial to work closely with local people and to draw attention to the important functions of elephants for the entire ecosystem,” says Scattolin, who points to a way out.

The population halved from 100,000 to 50,000
Its biggest problem children, in the truest sense of the word, are the free-ranging Asian elephants, whose population has halved from around 100,000 at the beginning of the 20th century to 50,000. In Thailand’s Kuiburi National Park, an early warning system of real-time wildlife cameras, thermal drones and GPS trackers will help monitor the elephants’ movements. A mobile response team, available 24 hours a day, will chase the animals away if they get too close. As a result, the first notable eco-successes have already been achieved.