Local company Wireless Intelligent Sensing Technology SA (WiST) hopes to carry out a pilot project, in conjunction with wildlife veterinarian William Fowlds, to test whether its sensory tracking tags can effectively counter rhino poaching.
WiST SA CEO Gert Botha says that, once an investor comes onboard, WiST will supply its devices free of charge, while Fowlds has undertaken to help with the practical application of the devices. Botha says that due to complications in the wild, the pilot will have to be carried out on domestic animals first, adding that Fowlds has agreed to help with the pilot on domestic animals.
According to Fowlds, some of the complications in the wild include the high cost this pilot would entail to potential financial backers and the likelihood that rhinos will die during the pilot. He explains that rhinos will have to be anesthetised in order to insert the tags and that this procedure always puts rhinos at risk. Fowlds also estimates that the application of the technology alone would cost up to R15 000 per rhino.
Botha says the tags can be used to track rhinos in real-time. Moreover, sensors in the tags are able to detect important indicators, including heartbeat or body tilt. He believes that if game rangers have this information, in real-time, as well as the location of the rhino, they will be able to act proactively in instances of poaching. The company also stresses that its tags do not inhibit the rhino's movements because they are small.
Fowlds is confident the tags will be effective. “The more information we can get in real-time about what these animals are doing, the better the chance we have of stopping the poaching,” he explains. He adds that the tags may also help to catch and convict poachers, which may work as a deterrent.
According to Botha, there are two different ways the technology could be used to prevent rhino poaching. He says the first makes use of WiST tags, GSM updaters and either a cellphone network or radio frequency.
He explains that the updaters will be attached to the WiST tags and these will transmit an encrypted signal to a cellphone or radio tower, which is then decrypted and sent to an online database, or straight to the game reserve's control room. According to Botha, this provides game rangers with information about the state of the rhino, including its heartbeat and whether it is stationary, as well as its location in real-time.
Botha says the second scenario involves attaching the WiST tags to the rhino, while the GSM updaters will be attached to poles, spaced 1.5km apart. He says this will allow real-time information about the rhino, as well as its location, to be transmitted from pole to pole, and then updated via a cellphone or radio tower and sent to a database, or the control room.
According to Botha, it will cost about R9 per updater to transmit the information to the control room.
However, Fowlds stresses that until WiST tags are tried and tested in the field, there is no way of knowing whether the tags are a viable solution to rhino poaching.
Funding needed
Botha says WiST will provide the tags and updaters at cost to the pilot project, which does not yet have a sponsor. Moreover, he says the company will undertake to do further research and make modifications to the tags, should the pilot face any obstacles. He adds that WiST is confident the technology will work in the wild, but acknowledges that WiST may need to develop additional sensing ability for the tags depending on what exactly needs to be measured.
Botha estimates that the pilot will cost anything between R1.5 million and R2 million. He says the bulk of this money would be used to design casings for the tags, which WiST will outsource. Botha says the devices need casings to prevent them from being broken when rhinos brush up against trees or rocks. According to him, these casings would need to be made out of a hard material in order to protect the devices.
He says designing moulds for these casings will cost in the region of R50 000 to R150 000 per mould for each part of the casing. After the moulds have been designed and manufactured, Botha says the casings themselves should only cost R50 to R100, depending on what material is used to make them.
According to Botha, the initial pilot on domestic animals will be a lot cheaper, because temporary enclosures could be used. “I would say about R250 000 should be sufficient to complete the pilot on domestic animals,” he adds.
Botha emphasises that these figures are rough estimates. “I do think my estimate will probably cover the cost, it might even be less, but I would rather have more funding available than to run out of funds halfway through the project,” he says.
Fowlds warns that an estimated 600 rhinos will be killed in SA this year and implores all businesses to get involved in the fight against rhino poaching.
People or businesses interested in helping to fund the pilot should contact Gert Botha directly on 083 397 9990 or e-mail gert@wist-sa.com.
Share