Wolf Drones Pt 2
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. Drones with amplified human voices are being tested in Southern Oregon to see if they can keep a growing wolf population away from cattle herds.
Paul Wolf, the aptly named Southwest District Supervisor for USDA Wildlife Services, says they’ve found that drones are capable of so much …
WOLF … “They would be able to see, okay we got a heat signature coming out of the pasture to investigate the cattle. And then the drone would drop down and get a better view and, sometimes it’s a bear, sometimes it’s a cougar, sometimes it’s a wolf, you know. And so, the team right now is like, I can’t operate without having a drone, you know!”
And, Wolf says, when you include Artificial Intelligence …
WOLF … “It would be fantastic to have a drone being able to detect a wolf and go, hey that’s a wolf, and then notify the rancher so he can go out and check on his animals or, you know, interrupt it. And so, it’s neat for where we are right now and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
It’s something, Wolf says even the wolf advocates can get behind …
WOLF … “I think it’s a win-win for all of us. Like I said, as we want to co-exist, I truly mean that, is that if we aren’t helping those ranchers, it creates a lot more tension.”
Wolf says they’re all smiles and believe they’ve found something that can help everyone.
