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Headline: RAW VIDEO: Elephants make their peace with drones raising new hopes for conservation
Caption: Elephants in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve have made their peace with the drones that now frequently buzz around their habitat. Initially, when elephants saw drones above them, they reacted with alarm, fleeing the aircraft. This made the drones useful for driving them away from crops, but less so for research and protection, as they always disturbed the animals. However, new work published by Save the Elephants (STE) and the University of Oxford suggests elephants have learned to ignore drones altogether, a finding that could transform how wildlife is monitored. When flown in ways designed to minimise disruption, elephants quickly become indifferent to them. For scientists, that is welcome news. Since Iain Douglas-Hamilton pioneered the study of wild elephant behaviour in the 1960s, observations have typically been made from vehicles or platforms beside the animals. Drones now offer a fresh vantage point, allowing researchers to observe the inner workings of a herd in unprecedented detail. The perspective they provide brings the possibility of precisely quantifying, for the first time, how individual elephants interact in different situations. On-board cameras and sensors gather vast quantities of data, which AI-driven software can analyse for behavioural patterns that may previously have gone undetected. The new study, published in Scientific Reports, found that high, steady drone flights altered elephant behaviour only briefly – if at all. Researchers say early results have already offered clues about elephants' nocturnal sleeping habits, and they are close to releasing a tool capable of automatically estimating the age and sex of each animal in a group. Supported by the Colossal Foundation, the research brings together STE’s three decades of field experience with cutting-edge technology. Save the Elephants’ chief executive, Frank Pope, says: “Biodiversity is in crisis but we’re not standing still. New technologies are expanding our ability to perceive, analyse and understand the wild world in a way that was previously unthinkable. This study promises to open a new window onto how elephants work.” Researchers carried out 35 quadcopter trials on 14 elephant families in Kenya’s Samburu and Buffalo Springs national reserves. Around half of the animals showed signs of disturbance during their first exposure – mainly mild reactions such as trunk-lifting or momentary pauses – but these faded quickly, usually within six minutes, and were 70% less likely to recur in later flights. Lead author Angus Carey-Douglas of Save the Elephants says: “The way in which the drone is flown is crucial. We found that not all elephants were disturbed, and those that were became less agitated both during a single flight and over repeated exposures. Additionally, our results suggest that these habituation effects may last over many months if not years, demonstrating the capacity for learning and adaptability for which elephants are already well known.” This growing tolerance suggests drones could serve as a non-invasive, cost-effective platform for observing elephant movement, social behaviour and responses to environmental change. Enhanced monitoring is already revealing new behaviours and helping conservationists refine protection strategies. Save the Elephants’ chairman and co-author, Professor Fritz Vollrath of Oxford University’s Department of Biology, says: “This research demonstrates the power of a new and rapidly evolving technology that allows us to probe ever deeper into the secret lives of elephants. For example, the onboard thermal camera penetrates the darkness, opening up detailed studies of night-time behaviour and sleeping patterns.” Matt James, executive director of the Colossal Foundation, says: "We are proud to partner with and support Save the Elephants in deploying cutting-edge technologies to protect elephants in the wild. This collaboration is a powerful example of how Colossal’s de-extinction innovations are already safeguarding living species today, demonstrating that the tools we’re developing to bring back the past are equally vital for protecting biodiversity today." The researchers stress that while drones can be powerful conservation tools but their use must be carefully regulated. In Kenya, tourist and recreational drone flights are banned in national parks and reserves to avoid unnecessary stress to wildlife. The aircraft used in this study were flown under permits issued by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute.
Keywords: feature,photo,video,elephants,drones,wildlife,nature
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