Drones Help Scientists Spot Australia's Endangered Koalas

Small endangered animals are often hard to find in their natural habitats, making it difficult for scientists to monitor them and develop conservation plans. But new technologies can help. Australian researchers have equipped flying drones with infrared cameras so they can spot koalas hiding high in trees.

Koalas spend most of their lives in eucalyptus trees, whose leaves are their favorite food. Since the leaves are low on calories and nutritional content, koalas are not very active - they sleep up to 20 hours a day. Curled-up in high branches, they are not easy to spot from the ground, and they have few natural predators. The greatest threat to this iconic symbol of Australia is logging.

“Every single tree in Australia right now, needs to be protected and unless that happens I can promise you the koala is going to go to extinction,” said Deborah Tabart, Australian Koala Foundation.

Scientists studying koalas say one of the keys for saving the animals is to know where they live and how many of them are left.

Using drones fitted with infrared cameras to conduct a census was an untested concept. Queensland Institute of Technology technician, Gavin Broadbent, said they were skeptical at first. “But when we saw the images come through, we saw the koalas were very distinct compared to the trees and the environment. So we thought, yes this is absolutely a proof of concept that could work,” he said.

The images beamed back to a computer clearly show the animal’s position, even from a distance far enough away not to disturb its sleep.

“We have tested at 20 meters and 80 meters. At 20 meters we get really good resolution,” stated Felipe Gonzalez, project leader.

The remotely controlled camera pivots and swivels, so scientists can scan the trees from all angles, picking out koalas even in the most dense areas, not visible to researchers on foot.

“So this will drastically reduce the manpower," said Amber Gillett, a veterinarian with the Australia Zoo. "Will greatly increase the area that can be covered to survey koalas and in areas where people may not be able to walk through because of dense undergrowth.”

Scientists say it is now clear that drones with infrared cameras can be used for spotting, and perhaps saving, other animals in the wild.

濒临绝种的小型动物在他们的自然栖息地里很难被发现，使科学人员很难监测他们并制定保护计划。不过新科技可以为此提供帮助。澳大利亚的研究员们已经在使用带有红外摄像机的无人机来寻找高高地躲在树上的考拉。

考拉一生大多数时间都待在桉树上，桉树叶是它们最喜爱的食物。由于桉树叶的能量和营养含量都很低，它们大都不太爱动，每天要睡到20个小时。蜷缩在高高的树枝上的考拉不容易从地上看到，他们也少有天敌。对这种澳大利亚标志性动物而言，最大的威胁是伐木。

澳大利亚考拉基金会的黛博拉•塔芭特说，“如今澳大利亚的每一棵树都需要保护，否则我可以保证，考拉将会绝种。”

研究考拉的科学人员说，保护考拉很重要的一环是了解它们生活在哪,以及它们还剩下多少只。

使用带有红外摄像机的无人机来进行考拉普查曾是一个未经验证的概念。昆士兰理工学院技术员加文·布罗德本特（Gavin Broadbent）说，对于这一概念，他们一开始是持怀疑态度的。他说，“但是当我们看到传送回来的图像，我们看到考拉和树以及周围的环境相比显得很突出。于是我们认为，这绝对证明这个概念是可行的。”

这些照片是在距离考拉很远的位置拍下的，这是为了不打扰它们睡觉。即便如此，传回电脑里的图像依旧能够清晰地显示出考拉的位置。

项目主管费利佩∙冈萨雷斯说，“我们已经测试了20米和80米的拍摄高度。在20米的高度上我们收到了非常清晰的图像。”

科学人员遥控摄像机的旋转支点来对树木进行全方位扫描。即便有些考拉躲在最茂密的枝叶里，地面上的研究人员凭肉眼根本看不到，但采用这种办法，它们也能够被找到。

澳大利亚动物园的兽医安伯•吉利特（Amber Gillett）说，“所以这将大幅减少人力，也将极大地扩展考拉调研工作可覆盖的区域，使得调研能够在一些灌木丛生人走不进去的地方展开。”

科学家们认为，如今很清楚的是，这种带有红外摄像机的无人机能够用来寻找其他野生动物，或许还可以用来挽救它们。