USING TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT WILDLIFE CRIME WORDS & PICTURES BY JAMES MORGAN
USING TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT WILDLIFE CRIME Back in 2012, I worked with World Wildlife Fund to cover a story on the link between wildlife crime and terrorism. I spent time with rangers in both West and East Africa and then followed the trade networks into China and Thailand. At the time, the loss of both wildlife and human life was spiraling out of control. Four years later, the situation has escalated. In March of 2016, I went back to East Africa, this time to the Maasai Mara, to see first-hand how the battle against poachers and wildlife crime had evolved. ABOVE: (2012) In Gabon, eco guard Soho Jocelyn prepares to leave his family and go on patrol in Menkebe national park. Being a ranger in Central Africa has become increasingly dangerous in recent years as poachers now frequently use automatic weapons, often killing rangers in clashes deep in the jungle. TOP RIGHT: (2012) Central Africa is in the midst of an elephant poaching crisis. In order to combat the problem, the president of Gabon has recruited a whole new section of the army devoted to fighting back against wildlife crime. Here, Mba Ndong Marius holds seized Ivory tusks in front of a pile of confiscated weapons. Menkebe, Gabon. BOTTOM RIGHT: (2012) Eco guards cook dinner on patrol in a logging concession outside Minkebe national park.
In an attempt to level the playing field, WWF is working with thermal imaging camera manufacturer FLIR to develop a new anti-poaching system one that combines thermal imaging cameras and human detection software. This is one of the first times this technology has been used outside of the military and law enforcement, to protect wildlife. Whilst in the Mara we worked with Mara Conservancy rangers and Kenya Wildlife Service to install FLIR technology at two sites: on a mobile patrol unit in the Mara, where we took it out on a test night patrol; and at an undisclosed location in Kenya, where stationary FLIR units were installed. ABOVE: Installing solar panels for FLIR camera system in an undisclosed national park in Kenya. As part of WWF s Wildlife Crime Technology project. LEFT: Field technicians at Mara Conservancy installing mobile FLIR camera unit. As part of WWF s wildlife crime technology project.
ABOVE: KWS ranger patrol unit at an undisclosed national park in Kenya. As part of WWF s Wildlife Crime Technology project. TOP LEFT: Cheruiyot Maritim a Mara Conservancy ranger installing FLIR camera system at Mara Conservancy at Maasai Mara National Reserve. As part of WWF s Wildlife Crime Technology project BOTTOM LEFT: Ranger anti-poaching unit testing the newly installed mobile FLIR camera system at the Mara Conservancy at Maasai Mara National Reserve Kenya. As part of WWF s Wildlife Crime Technology project.
Wildlife rangers now have the help they ve desperately needed. says Colby Loucks, WWF s wildlife crime technology lead. This ground-breaking technology allows them to search for poachers 24 hours a day, from up to a mile away, in pitch darkness. It s upping the game in our fight to stop wildlife crime across the region. Since the technology was installed, more than two dozen poachers have been arrested. The ability to see (and crucially drive) in the dark without using headlights could prove a crucial milestone in the fight against wildlife crime. The hope is that the more effective the technology becomes the stronger a deterrent it will be. The aim isn t just to make arrests but to dissuade potential poachers from entering national parks. RIGHT: Dr. Asuka Takita, Veterinarian/Canine Unit Supervisor and ranger colleagues at the Mara Conservancy at Maasai Mara National Reserve. As part of WWF s Wildlife Crime Technology project.
For a complete edit of photographs see: https://jamesmorgan.co.uk/features/inside-wildlife-crime/ For more info contact: james@jamesmorganphotography.co.uk 0044 (0)7518902552