Tech firm Sigfox develops tiny tracker to help fight
rhino poaching
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[December 27, 2018]
By Tangi Salaün
PARIS (Reuters) - French tech company
Sigfox has developed a bite-size tracker that can be inserted into the
horns of rhinos to help conservationists monitor and protect the
endangered species.
With the dramatic decline of animal species in the past century mostly
due to poaching and urban expansion, wildlife organizations have turned
to technology to help safeguard species being pushed towards extinction.
The global number of rhinos dwindled to about 20,000 a decade ago due to
relentless poaching, though they have rebounded to about 29,000 thanks
to conservation efforts.
Cameras, infrared and motion sensors, electronic bracelets and drones
have been used over the years to protect endangered species, but have at
times been limited by vast distances and limited resources in the
countries concerned.
Sigfox, known for building networks that link objects to the internet,
has developed sensors able to give the exact location of rhinos using
the firm's network over a longer period of time.
"We now help rangers and conservation experts to observe from a
distance, taking less risk, and especially to anticipate potential
dangers that the animal could (face)," Marion Moreau, head of the
non-profit Sigfox Foundation, told Reuters.
The sensors can alert park rangers when rhinos approach an area
identified as particularly dangerous due to previous instances of
poaching. Combined with other warning sensors, they can be used to get
rescue teams to the location in real time.
"We started a project in Zimbabwe three years ago, inventing a prototype
of a captor, inserted in the horn of about 30 rhinoceroses, which emits
the exact position of the rhinoceros three times a day, over three
years," said Moreau.
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Marion Moreau, Head of Sigfox Foundation, poses during an interview
with Reuters at French tech company Sigfox offices in Paris, France,
December 7, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
The Sigfox network uses a specific radio signal which offers more security
guarantee than other tracking devices. The sensor only wakes up when it has to
transmit data, which makes it immune to interception by poachers, she said.
Moreau said Sigfox intended the trackers to be long-lasting with an autonomous
battery-life of around three years. The cost would also be capped at $30 per
sensor.
Sigfox worked with conservationists and specialized groups including the
International Rhino Foundation in developing the tiny sensor. It is also
collaborating with the Jane Goodall Institute, a nonprofit organization that
protects primate habitats, in the use of new technologies for conservation.
(Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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