Google Funds Secret Technology For Hunting Down Poachers

Aerial surveillance, radio tagging and ranger patrols aim to fight poaching in Asia and Africa.

By Rebecca Boyle Posted 12.06.2012 at 6:00 pm 14 Comments

Black Rhino A black rhinoceros in Tanzania. Rhinos are killed at an average rate of one per day because of the belief that their horns cure diseases. The World Wildlife Fund says the leading rhino market is now in Vietnam, where some people apparently believe rhino horn cures cancer. Wikimedia Commons

Poachers kill a rhino per day, elephants are slaughtered for their ivory, and tiger poachers sell and trade the whole animal--from whiskers to tail, according to the world’s leading wildlife welfare agency. Now the World Wildlife Fund is getting some secret weapons of its own to combat the illicit killers.

The WWF just received $5 million under Google’s new grant program, the Global Impact Awards, with which it plans to use technology like aerial surveillance and radio-frequency ID tags on wild animals.

Poaching has been a problem for centuries, but it’s getting worse because of demand from wealthy customers--especially in emerging Asian markets. It’s a “crisis that is emptying the world’s forests and oceans,” in the words of the WWF--and it’s worth $7 to $10 billion annually. The BBC reported that in the past five years, the number of rhinos killed in South Africa has risen from 13 to 588. The WWF has been beating this drum especially hard of late--it is apparently a very bad time to be an elephant.

We’ve seen a couple other uses of technology to curb poaching in the past, notably the use of GPS tags on rhinos, but this time the WWF wants a larger umbrella of monitoring tech. It would include sensors on animals and in their environments, which would be monitored by a network of drones overhead. These could detect poachers and dispatch mobile ranger patrols to catch them, the WWF says. It will be used in four separate sites in Asia and Africa, according to Google.

Carter Roberts, president of the WWF, said in a statement that the world faces an unprecedented poaching crisis. “We need solutions that are as sophisticated as the threats we face,” he said. “This pushes the envelope in the fight against wildlife crime.” You can read more about the WWF's efforts here.

How the WWF Is Hunting Poachers: Click here to make it bigger. WWF

[via BBC]

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14 Comments

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RainyDayInterns

12/06/12 at 7:09 pm

Would be even more exciting if Google was funding secret tech to KILL poachers...

http://www.rainydaymagazine.com
"We Entertain When It Rains"

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lieoiieow

12/06/12 at 9:35 pm

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rebeccaadams15

12/07/12 at 1:04 am

uptil I saw the paycheck 4 $7666, I accept ...that...my friend woz like realey taking home money in there spare time from there pretty old laptop.. there friend brother haz done this 4 only about seven months and resantly repaid the mortgage on their cottage and bourt a top of the range Citroën DS. we looked here..www.Google.mel7.com

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African Rover

12/07/12 at 8:22 am

@ rainy day intern,
I like the way you think.

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Robot

12/07/12 at 9:02 am

Tagging our pets and tagging wild animals will eventually lead to all humans to be tagged as well. For it is a human that is humans most deadly animal. In this last tagging we will make slaves of ourselves, caged and controlled..... sad sigh.

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shutterpod

12/07/12 at 10:00 am

Someone needs to create a need for poacher organs, don't human organs sell for more than animal parts?

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Robot

12/07/12 at 12:19 pm

D13,
For the nature of my job, I assume I am highly tracked, watched, listen to and observed anyways. But I live my life as a Christian and in this it does not bother me and my job I believe is important, too.

Though, I do not like to see innocent free peoples being tracked, but in reality they currently are being tracked via the new 9/11 laws and the new NSA center in Utah in real time\world wide.

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Robot

12/07/12 at 12:30 pm

D13,
This is good reading to my above comment.

Threat LevelPrivacy, Crime and Security Online SurveillanceprivacyCybersecurityinShare.1,167

The NSA Is Building the Country’s Biggest Spy Center
(Watch What You Say)

www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/all/

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bombastinator

12/10/12 at 1:41 am

anyone who uses the word "christian" like that while avoiding the particular sect they belong to in my experience generally does it because if the sect was included people would dismiss him as an evangelical wack job. If your beliefs are so awesome why are you embarrassed to admit what they actually specifically are?

P.S.
Me I'm an Episcopalian. Feel free to google it if you care and are not familiar. Shortest description I've ever heard is "diet catholic"

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Robot

12/10/12 at 9:16 am

bombastinator,
Sir at what age did you mind reading skills surface as to speak of what other people think and feel?
WoW, you are simply amazing, (sarcasm).

I think you be best served to simply state you own opinion.

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nighthawkich

12/11/12 at 1:14 pm

It is possible (not easy) to live off the grid. Dont own anything, dont buy anything. live in the cave network in yellowstone off of twigs and berries.

Otherwise, sorry, we all bear the number of the beast.

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African Rover

12/11/12 at 4:56 pm

@ robot
Never mind the "bombastinator", the name says it all, I would translate it as a "pompous git".

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Gerrit

12/12/12 at 11:58 am

Reading this article gave me goose bumps! For the past couple of months I've been directly involved in a fund raising initiative aimed towards anti poaching initiatives in South Africa. We have raised nearly R6.6 million (South African Rands. That equates to roughly $750,000 US) and it is really nice to see that the big boys are getting on board with efforts like these as well. :-)

You can check them out if you want:

http://www.skydive4rhinos.org

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