Innovative Technologies Saving Our Precious Endangered Animals, Part 1 of 2

Poaching causes devastation to many animal species worldwide, especially to the endangered megafauna in Africa, where thousands fall victim to poachers and wildlife traffickers each year. Fortunately, there is a beacon of hope. Thanks to pioneering artificial intelligence (AI) technology, rangers can now outsmart the criminals and proactively save these precious animals. Today, I will introduce you to two wonderful, advanced animal conservation technologies used in the field. EarthRanger is an integrated software platform designed by Vulcan Inc., a private American company founded by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen that works in many philanthropic fields. The software integrates and displays all key information on an online interactive digital map in real-time. More importantly, EarthRanger has leading AI engines with deep learning capabilities that can predict when and where poaching is most likely to happen, so managers can proactively deploy resources and be one step ahead of the lawbreakers. EarthRanger has assisted law enforcers in removing more than 13,000 animal traps and snares and making more than 1,170 arrests. Many of Africa’s national park managers face several anti-poaching and wildlife trafficking challenges, the most critical being minimal staff. Besides, traditional anti-poaching cameras take photos of everything that moves, which means frequent battery replacements and filtering an excessive number of images, making more work for the already busy rangers. Furthermore, most African wildlife parks lack cell network coverage, so the pictures taken cannot be sent to headquarters fast enough for timely screening. The exciting thing is that all of these problems can be mitigated by ingenious new technology. TrailGuard AI is an advanced anti-poaching camera system designed to address these issues effectively. TrailGuard AI is equipped with many game-changing technologies. Better still, TrailGuard can be integrated with the EarthRanger software platform introduced earlier, and the synergy can provide much more robust protection to vulnerable animals. Thank you to all involved in the development of EarthRanger and TrailGuard AI! These advanced, intelligent technological solutions are a huge step towards saving endangered animal species.