New Technology to Rescue Endangered Animals

Rory Wilson, the scientist behind the ‘Daily Diary’ technology which won him a Rolex Award, has been working with Arabian leopards in Oman to perfect the software and dramatically improve the chance of survival for endangered species everywhere.

“There are about 160 Arabian leopards and their stronghold is in Oman,” he said.

“But it’s so elusive we don’t know much about it. There’s probably none left in the UAE.

“One of the main threats to the Arabian Leopard is retaliatory killings by farmers whose livestock have been killed. The diary would be able to show us whether the leopards are indeed killing livestock; how much of their diet is made up of livestock versus traditional prey; and provide a comprehensive picture of the animal’s behaviour. In short, it enables governments and organisations to better understand and protect its at-risk species.”

Wilson said his work and cooperation with conservationists in Oman has indicated concerns that private collectors and hunters from the UAE are harming population of the Arabian Leopard and the Arabian Oryx.

“The Arabian Peninsula has a lot of conservation issues that are poorly addressed,” Wilson said.

“The worst thing for an animal is to go extinct without anybody understanding why. In one year though, with this technology they could leapfrog over Western Europe and the US, who have been studying wildlife for years.”

His revolutionary technology goes beyond previous tracking technology to provide immense detail on an animal’s minute movements, that a scientist tracking remotely can know if a leopard is panting or standing in the shade.

“It brings back650million data pieces per deployment (tracking effort),” he said. “And it can record 15 times a second.”

By using Google Earth, which captures snapshots of the earth, and the detailed movement tracking of the animal, Wilson said the software could show an accurate simulation of an animal in its environment.

“With this you could have a conservation web site where you could sponsor a daily diary and see the simulation of the animal’s activities,” he said.

“You can have a daily diary institute where you can look back and see exactly what the Arabian leopards were doing in 2010.” Already, the software has developed significantly, thanks to the funding from the Rolex Award but that will be exhausted in January.

Wilson estimates the software would be perfected in two years and is looking for corporate sponsorship to take the project further and ultimately make it accessible for the public.

Wilson said the Arabian Peninsula was the perfect region to support the ongoing research development. “You need an environment where it will have the maximum benefit and which has the corporate clout to support it.

“It’s an opportunity for a very rich region to back this and help global wildlife, not only their wildlife.”

The Rolex Awards for Enterprise are being held in Dubai this November 18 and 138 applicants have submitted their projects from the Middle East and North Africa.

zoe@khaleejtimes.com