Researchers used thermal drones to observe a rare species of kangaroo in the wild and understand its behavioral patterns.
As Mongabay reported, the researchers, led by a James Cook University Ph.D. student, flew thermal drones from a 154-foot crane in an Australian rainforest. They conducted their study in the Daintree Rainforest Observatory and published their findings in Australian Mammalogy.
The study's lead author was initially searching for spectacled flying foxes. However, the thermal drones quickly detected rare tree kangaroos living high in the rainforest from the animals' body heat.
They spotted a species called the Bennett's tree kangaroo, which is seldom encountered in the wild. The researchers saw two of these kangaroos within about 20 minutes of the first thermal drone flight and several more shortly thereafter.
"It kind of blew my mind because I'd never seen them before in the wild," said lead author Emmeline Norris.
This wildlife sighting is significant because it established a better way to survey tree kangaroos than in the past. Spotlighting trees from the ground and using thermal cameras posed limitations and restricted scientists' understanding of the species.
Bennett's tree kangaroos are incredibly elusive because they primarily live in undisturbed forests. Past techniques likely caused scientists to underestimate the kangaroos' populations and densities.
Wildlife tracking efforts are essential because they help protect rare species and promote peaceful coexistence between animals and humans. Noninvasive, nondisruptive observations allow scientists to gather critical data on wildlife populations and create conservation strategies necessary due to changing environmental conditions.
The researchers in this Australian study concluded that using thermal drones with canopy cranes can overcome the challenges of conducting wildlife surveys in dense rainforests. However, only one existing crane is tall enough for this purpose in the Australian rainforest.
To overcome this limitation and utilize the knowledge gained from this study, the researchers wrote, "In the absence of cranes, alternative strategies, such as operating drones from vantage points or using thermal scopes from crewed aircraft, may be needed to overcome VLOS constraints in tall forests."
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Definitely 👍 In response to a LinkedIn post by Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Ayers Butler, one social media user commented, "The future is here! I love seeing where technology is taking sustainability and conservation."
"Thermal drones are changing the game — revealing elusive species without disruption," someone else wrote. "Imagine what else we might uncover with this tech!"
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