Using drones and sirens to elicit avoidance behaviour in white rhinoceros as an anti-poaching tactic.

Samuel G Penny,Dawn M Scott,Rachel L White,Lynne Mactavish,Angelo P Pernetta

doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.1135

Abstract

Poaching fuelled by international trade in horn caused the deaths of over 1000 African rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum and Diceros bicornis) per year between 2013 and 2017. Deterrents, which act to establish avoidance behaviours in animals, have the potential to aid anti-poaching efforts by moving at-risk rhinos away from areas of danger (e.g. near perimeter fences). To evaluate the efficacy of deterrents, we exposed a population of southern white rhinos (C. simum simum) to acoustic- (honeybee, siren, turtle dove), olfactory- (chilli, sunflower), and drone-based stimuli on a game reserve in South Africa. We exposed rhinos to each stimulus up to four times. Stimuli were considered effective deterrents if they repeatedly elicited avoidance behaviour (locomotion away from the deterrent). Rhinos travelled significantly further in response to the siren than to the honeybee or turtle dove stimulus, and to low-altitude drone flights than to higher altitude flights. We found the drone to be superior at manipulating rhino movement than the siren owing to its longer transmission range and capability of pursuit. By contrast, the scent stimuli were ineffective at inciting avoidance behaviour. Our findings indicate that deterrents are a prospective low-cost and in situ method to manage rhino movement in game reserves.

Highlights

The recovery of southern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum) populations to more than 20 000 individuals [1] from a remnant population of fewer than 50 breeding individuals at the end of the nineteenth century [2] is lauded as one of conservation’s greatest successes [3]
To evaluate the efficacy of deterrents, we exposed a population of southern white rhinos (C. simum simum) to acoustic, olfactory, and drone-based stimuli on a game reserve in South Africa
Our findings indicate that deterrents are a prospective low-cost and in situ method to manage rhino movement in game reserves

Summary

Introduction

The recovery of southern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum) populations to more than 20 000 individuals [1] from a remnant population of fewer than 50 breeding individuals at the end of the nineteenth century [2] is lauded as one of conservation’s greatest successes [3]. This success is threatened by a rapid increase in rhino poaching [1] fuelled by a surge in demand from an increasingly affluent Southeast Asian market [4], where horn is used medicinally and as a symbol of status [5]. Spatio-temporal analyses of poaching patterns in African bush elephants (Loxodonta africana) show similar results, with the density of conspecifics, roads and rivers, condition of the vegetation, and distance from anti-poaching bases and boundaries all indicators of poaching risk [11,12,13]

Methods

Results

Conclusion