Drones that monitor animal behaviour in the wild are being hailed as a "win-win tool" by researchers in Australia, who say unmanned devices are allowing them to observe creatures in their natural habitats as never before. The drones can be used for everything from monitoring wildlife populations and studying how animals react to human activities such as hunting or fishing. However, the short battery lives of drones and the potential for them to disturb creatures in the wild have been cited as drawbacks.
Drones that monitor animal behaviour in the wild are being hailed as a "win-win tool" by researchers in Australia, who say unmanned devices are allowing them to observe creatures in their natural habitats as never before. In addition to reducing overheads by many thousands of dollars, drones can conduct research more quickly than humans, which is an especially important factor when monitoring species threatened by climate change. However, the short battery lives of drones and the potential for them to disturb creatures in the wild have been cited as drawbacks.