Johannesburg, 10 May 2016
Every day more than four rhino are killed in South Africa, an epidemic that is reducing the numbers of these majestic animals by over 1 100 a year in this country alone. Driving the slaughter is a greed for horns that fetch upwards of $1 million per kilogramme - higher than the price of gold - in turn attracting organised crime, international syndicates and impoverished foot soldiers willing to take a lot of risk. Rhino poachers have grown in force, using automatic weapons and high-powered rifles to target their prey.
Owners of these animals feel helpless in the onslaught, often financially unable to support the security demands of protecting one of Africa's big five. To this end many have joined forces with Thaba Manzi Wildlife Services to create a rhino sanctuary in the Limpopo province. Home to dozens of rhino, either privately owned or orphaned by poaching attacks, the sanctuary is a beachhead against a war that threatens to rob the continent of an iconic animal.
It's a fight that sits close to the principles of Axis Communications, which helps fight crime through its family of surveillance equipment solutions. As such the company donated several thermal cameras to the value of R300 000 to the sanctuary. But these are not mere optical cameras wired to a central viewing station. The Axis Q193-e is an evolution from military technology. It operates in thermal, which means anything hidden in dust, smoke and even total darkness cannot evade its notice. Specifically calibrated for certain heat signals, the Q193-e hones in on humans in particular. It can also track heat trails on the ground, so even if the person isn't spotted, their footprints will be.
"This is a great opportunity and privilege," said Roy Alves, Axis South Africa's Country Manager, at the handover ceremony. "If the rhino is gone, we'll never have anything like it again. So Axis wanted to make a contribution that will help make a difference in the fight to protect them."
Thermal cameras such as the Q193-e already make it a lot harder for criminals to even approach their targets. But this camera is also engineered to operate intelligently. Unlike traditional cameras that feed information back to watchful eyes in an observation room, the Q193-e has built-in video analytics. It records its own feed and makes decisions based on changes in its view. If something seems amiss, it immediately informs the right people through their video screens as well as mobile devices. By removing the need for a central analysis server, these cameras can be deployed more effectively and truly deliver a pre-emptive warning about intruders.
"The element of surprise is always important," said Carl Thornton, team leader of Pit-Track, a non-profit K9 security service that helps safeguard the sanctuary. He praised the cameras, adding that these will compliment his team's ability to stop poachers before they can get close to the rhino.
The value of this can't be understated. Poachers are audacious and often very organised. Pit-Track was recruited after the sanctuary, despite tight security, experienced several breaches. Now with smart thermal cameras to keep watch 24 hours a day, the advantage is being removed from criminals eager to destroy Africa's heritage for some quick cash.
Some may be tempted to evade the thermal cameras, but will find the Q193-e is also tamper-proof. Even if they stay out of its field of view, with the help of a motion sensor the camera knows if something is trying to approach its blindspots. It can also intelligently analyse sound, again alerting authorities if it hears something out of place. A collection of well-positioned Q193-e cameras create a digital barrier that is significantly harder to avoid than any human observation.
"Thermal technology has become far more accessible to private and commercial security," said Alves. "What once required an army of equipment and observation posts can now be handled by a handful of well-placed cameras."
Axis also donated its time, technicians and training to help ensure the sanctuary and Pit-Track can easily operate the equipment. One very thankful rhino guardian was Dr Jana Fourie, founder of the Rhino Pride Foundation, which supports the sanctuary:
"We have had a lot of incursion attempts before. It's already an expensive and difficult challenge to help the rhino recuperate from attacks, so every effort helps - and these cameras will help a lot."
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