Tanzanian rangers harness new technology to fight poachers
Giraffes are seen at the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
GRUMETI, Tanzania (Reuters) - In Tanzania's Grumeti Game Reserve, next to Serengeti National Park, elephants roam, rangers sleep more peacefully at night, and poachers have been put on notice, thanks to new technology designed to protect one of the world's most endangered species.
In response to the surge in ivory poaching in Africa, where the elephant population fell by around 20 percent between 2006 and 2015, U.S. philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and technologists from his company Vulcan Inc. have developed EarthRanger.
Art Min, Vice President, Impact, Vulcan Inc. poses for a photo at the Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
Their tech platform aggregates remote sensor readings of animal movements, trackers on radios and vehicles, camera trap photos and data from GPS-powered "geo fences" to give rangers in wildlife reserves and parks such as Grumeti a clear view of protected areas. The platform alerts them when threats are picked up through the data.
"EarthRanger... takes you from being reactive and always behind and always after an animal has been killed, or a ranger has been injured or killed to being proactive, to really being able to anticipate and get ahead of the problem," said Ted Schmitt, Vulcan Inc's business development manager for conservation technology.
From EarthRanger's operations room in Grumeti, the rangers view screens where they can observe every elephant which has been fitted out with a tracking collar.
Dancers from the Kurya community are seen before performing in front of visitors to the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
Game scout Gotera Gamba said the technology has made the conservation work he and other scouts do far easier and more efficient -- saving the lives of elephants and protecting staff on the reserve from poachers.
"Previously our job was very difficult because, for example, if you got an alert it would take a very long time before you go out to respond as you had to note it on a notebook, and rigorous communications with the radio room."
A lioness yawns while resting in a river bed in the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
(The story has been refiled to correct the name of tech platform and first name of Vulcan business development manager from Paul to Ted)
Eric, an 8-year-old east African black rhino who was relocated from the San Diego Zoo is seen in the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
(Reporting by Jackson Njehia; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Gareth Jones)
A herd of elephants is seen at the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz RatnerDancers from the Kurya community are seen before performing in front of visitors to the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz RatnerA giraffe walks through the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018.REUTERS/Baz RatnerTwo lionesses play in a river bed in the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz RatnerA male elephant wearing a tracking collar is seen at the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz RatnerImpalas graze at the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz RatnerA canine unit ranger is seen with his dog during a training exercise at the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz RatnerDancers from the Kurya community are seen before performing in front of visitors to the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz RatnerElephants graze at the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz RatnerLionesses rest in a river bed in the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz RatnerGotera Magesa head of operation of the law enforcement department in the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve uses his rifle's flashlight to light a python at the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz RatnerEric, an 8-year-old east African black rhino who was relocated from the San Diego Zoo is seen in the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Baz RatnerLionesses rest in a river bed in the Singita Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania, October 7, 2018. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
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