Write For Us

New study finds drones could transform elephant conservation ????

E-Commerce Solutions SEO Solutions Marketing Solutions
34 Views

  • Thanks! Share it with your friends!

    You disliked this video. Thanks for the feedback!

ava
Published
NEW: Researchers from Oxford and Save the Elephants found that drones can track elephant families without disturbing them.

They also found that elephants can habituate remarkably quickly to drones, showing fewer signs of disturbance both during single and repeated flights.

This finding could transform how scientists and conservationists monitor wildlife.

Once seen as a source of alarm, drones (or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAVs) are now proving to be surprisingly elephant-friendly and a valuable research tool. Previously, the use of drones in elephant conservation has mostly relied on their power to disturb: with their buzzing propellers, which can sound like a swarm of bees, elephants reliably run from drones, making them a useful tool to drive elephants from croplands.

But new research published by Oxford University and Save the Elephants (STE) has concluded that elephants can learn to ignore drones, particularly when they are flown in a way designed to minimise disturbance. Flying a drone high (120 metres or above), with a downwind approach and steadily caused minimal stress to the elephants, with only temporary changes seen in their behaviour, if at all.

The researchers conducted 35 quadcopter drone trials on 14 individually known elephant families in northern Kenya’s Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves. About half showed signs of disturbance when first exposed - predominantly mild, such as lifting their trunks or pausing their activities - but these reactions diminished rapidly, within just six minutes, and were 70% less likely to recur in repeated flights.

Find out more ⬇️
https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-11-28-new-study-finds-drones-can-be-valuable-ally-elephant-conservation
Category
Academic
Tags
Kenya, baby elephants, cute animals
Sign in or sign up to post comments.
Be the first to comment