How Google Earth and Cell Phones Save Elephants
Thu, Oct 30, 2008
Image: thesaint
Imagine getting a text message from an elephant. What would it say? Perhaps, “Stop calling me Dumbo, and, no, I can’t fly.”? Well, it appears that we might find out pretty soon.
In the last two years alone, the Kenyan Wildlife Service has killed five African elephants from the Ol Pejeta Conservancy because they were trampling through human settlements and cropland. It’s a problem that will only get worse as humans encroach on elephant’s territory.
To avoid the same fate happening to other elephants, like Kimani, pictured above, Save the Elephants has created an alternative solution, and Kimani is the guinea pig. This great drifter has a long history of destroying crops and irritating farmers, so to warn villagers Save the Elephants have inserted a mobile phone SIM card into the collar around Kimani’s neck, set up a virtual fence using GPS technology will track the elephant via Google Earth.
Now, when Kimani gets too close to the villages and farms he’s been reampaging, a text message is sent to the conservancy warning of impending danger. Armed staff members then set off to Kimani’s location and scare him away with bright lights and other methods – shooting is a last resort. Kimani’s crop raids used to be a nightly event but now he only appears every 3-4 months.
Image: Ol Pejeta Conservancy via teachandlearn
Although the project has the potential to reduce conflicts between elephants and humans, as well as the loss of life, it is not without its problems. The project is in its infancy and, so far, only two virtual fences have been created within Kenya. Also, humans can only keep elephants at bay for so long.
What this project shows us is that through innovative thinking and technology animals can live a life free from captivity and humans can be safe from the elephants.
Still, what would an elephant say in a text message, given the chance?
Source: 1, 2
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2 Trackbacks For This Post
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f@biano.com.br Says:
November 3rd, 2008 at 3:58 pm[...] Via Environmental Graffiti. [...]
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(Anti) Social-Lists 11/2/08 | (Anti) Social Development Says:
November 22nd, 2008 at 7:53 pm[...] How Google Earth and Cell Phones Save Elephants - This is my third article at Environmental Graffiti. It’s about how SMS technology is being used in Kenya to help save elephants. I love elephants and you can visit my news site here. Unfortunately, I have not been keeping up with it very well recently and am planning on a redesign. [...]
October 30th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Hi Kim,
That was a really nice article to read. Technology has a lot of potential to help a lot of people and I think too often its misused or underused for things that people really don’t want or need. In this case it helps not only the elephants who really can’t help what they’re doing but the people in keeping them safe and not forcing them to have to make a really unpleasant decision to harm an elephant. And your elephant pictures are really cool too.
And I have a feeling that the elephant would tell us he doesn’t want to be associated with the Republican party anymore. ;-)
Jim
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:24 pm
This is a great piece of news. Using technology for the benefits of nature conservation.