Latest news with #GPS-collared
Epoch Times
5 days ago
- Science
- Epoch Times
California Launches Wolf Mapping System in Wake of Attacks on Cattle
California ranchers say an online map that shows the approximate locations of GPS-collared wolves is a step in the right direction but lacks real-time tracking and accuracy to be truly effective. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)
Time of India
16-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Too many elephants? GPS collars help Zimbabwe villagers to avoid deadly encounters
Too many elephants? GPS collars help Zimbabwe villagers to avoid deadly encounters (Photo: AP) In the dusty borderlands of Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park , a silent battle plays out daily between survival and conservation. As climate change fuels longer drought periods and shrinks food sources, elephants increasingly stray into nearby villages in search of water and crops, which often have deadly consequences. To prevent these confrontations, a new high-tech early warning system is combining satellite data with old-fashioned community grit. Whenever GPS-collared elephants approach the buffer zones that separate wild lands from human settlements, local volunteer Capon Sibanda springs into action. 'Every time I wake up, I take my bike, I take my gadget and hit the road,' said Sibanda, 29, one of dozens of trained 'community guardians' working to keep both people and elephants safe as reported by AP. The GPS alert system, part of an initiative by Zimbabwe's wildlife authority and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), was introduced in 2023. It uses real-time tracking and the EarthRanger platform to monitor collared elephants, especially matriarchs, a woman who is the head of a family. Digital maps track movements and trigger alerts when animals cross invisible red lines separating protected and community lands. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Start Here - 2025 Top Trend Local network access control Esseps Learn More Undo This fusion of technology and community outreach has already begun to shift the dynamic. 'We still bang pans, but now we get warnings in time,' says Senzeni Sibanda, a local farmer and councilor. But the problem is bigger than GPS can fix alone. Zimbabwe's elephant population, estimated at 100,000 is nearly double what the land can sustain. Yet culling (killing animals in a group) has been off the table for more than four decades due to conservation pressure and high costs, but the human toll is rising,18 people were killed by wildlife between January and April this year; 158 aggressive animals were killed in response. The larger debate to cull has drawn global attention, some southern African nations, including Zimbabwe and Namibia, have proposed radical ideas from legalizing elephant meat to offering excess animals to other countries like Botswana's then-president offered to gift 20,000 elephants to Germany, and the country's wildlife minister mock-suggested sending 10,000 to Hyde Park in the heart of London. Still, many see the tracking initiative as a hopeful step forward. So far, 16 elephants have been collared. It's a small start in Hwange, home to 45,000 elephants, but officials say it helps them make smarter, faster decisions based on real-time data.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
California launches wolf tracking tool to help prevent livestock conflict
California wildlife officials have launched a public mapping system that displays the approximate locations of GPS-collared gray wolves across the state, offering a new tool for livestock producers to protect their herds. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the system's debut Thursday, emphasizing its purpose as a proactive measure to reduce wolf-livestock conflicts. The Wolf Location Automated Mapping System displays the last known position of each collared wolf within a nearly 4.5-square-mile hexagonal area. Users can click on the map to view general location data, the pack's name and the most recent transmission date. 'California's rural livestock producers living near wolves have faced real challenges as the wolf population grows in California. This is one more tool in our shared toolkit to protect their herds from wolf-livestock conflict,' said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. Bonham vowed that the Department was focused on transparency and partnering with local communities and ranchers to ensure they 'have the knowledge they need to help prevent conflict.' The tool only tracks wolves fitted with GPS collars, which currently number 14. Collared wolves transmit data several times daily, and CDFW updates the map every morning. Specific sensitive data, such as den sites during pup season, will be withheld to help prevent harassment or illegal activity. Officials said the Department also reserved the right to shut down the system if the data is misused. The Center for Biological Diversity welcomed the new system, noting its potential to improve coexistence between wolves and ranchers. 'I'm hopeful that livestock operators will responsibly use the map to head off conflict,' said Senior Wolf Advocate Amaroq Weiss. 'Livestock-wolf conflicts are rare but both ranchers and wolves will benefit if we make them rarer still by giving a heads up when wolves are in the area so ranchers can act responsibly.' California's wolf population has been steadily growing since OR-7, a collared male from Oregon, crossed into the state in 2011. Wolves are listed as endangered under both state and federal law, and it is illegal to kill them except in defense of human life. For additional information, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
