As you know, we’re always looking for new tools to help us protect wildlife, and with technology evolving each day, there’s new and innovative ways to help conserve wildlife – such as the critically endangered orangutan.
When out in the field, researchers usually have to walk long distances through dense forests, battling against the heat, mud and other elements to find what they are looking for in order to protect important areas of habitat. On top of that, orangutans are shy, secretive animals that hide among the forests making them even harder to spot when on foot.
We’ve been working with Serge Wich, professor of primate biology at Liverpool John Moores University, for a few years now. He has been using video cameras fixed to drones to search for orangutan nests. This ‘birds eye view’ of the forests allows individuals to survey a large area quickly and cheaply – leaving more valuable time and resource free for other conservation activities.
In the below video, Chester Zoo’s head of field programmes, Scott Wilson and Serge Wich tell us more about how drones are helping orangutan conservation and the advantage of using this technology in the field.
Within the video you’ll see two Indonesian vets being trained on how to use drones. Winny and Siska are currently spending time in the UK to meet and work with a number of different organisations to enhance their skills and knowledge across a range of disciplines. Find out more here.