Wildlife Drones is an Australian company specialising in drone radio-telemetry, offering radio-tracking and thermal imaging services. The company is headquarters in Canberra, Australia, and its technology is used by researchers, wildlife biologists, government agencies, and environmental consultants to collect data for wildlife conservation and management.
Wildlife Drones was founded in 2016 by Debbie Saunders, a conservation ecologist, following her doctoral research at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, ANU. Saunders' work on the winter habitat use and movements of the Swift Parrot led to the development of a radio-receiver payload designed for use with drones. This included real-time signal processing, analytics, and mapping software.
Wildlife Drones has developed a radio-receiver system for drones, which consists of two main components:
The system allows for tracking of radio-tagged animals by detecting signals from VHF radio-tags, providing location data. It can be used in conjunction with other sensors, such as thermal imaging cameras, to locate and monitor animals in various environments, including challenging terrains.
The technology is applied in various wildlife conservation efforts, such as tracking endangered species, studying animal behaviour, and monitoring populations in hard-to-access areas. It has also been used in research on human-wildlife conflicts, and to combat illegal wildlife trade and poaching.
Further Publications by Dr Debbie Saunders and contributions: