Beware, you bloody poachers – this local game reserve isn’t playing any games.

This 62 000 hectare reserve – the same size as Pretoria, nogal – on the border of Kruger National Park has turned into a “21st century bush fortress” so as to curb poaching, according to Business Insider SA.

In a pilot project called “Connected Conservation” that began in 2015, 48 private lodge owners, tech company Cisco, and data solutions company Dimension Data, are collaborating to protect endangered animals (i.e. the rhino) and to stop slippery poachers from carrying out their dirty-ass deeds:

While there had been great initiatives to protect the rhino over the years, these were reactive and the number of these animals being killed were increasing at an alarming rate,” said Bruce Watson, group executive for the Cisco alliance at Dimension Data, and mastermind behind the scheme.

This is how hectic their security measures have become:

• By installing a radio reserve area network system and low-power wide area networks, they’ve effectively turned the entire area into a Wi-Fi zone.
• Rangers have portable devices so that can access live data, share live video footage, track intruders and access the server while in the bush.

• The 72 kilometre-long fence is fitted with acoustic sensors that trigger when the wires are cut, as well as with magnetic sensors that can detect guns.
• The fence perimeter is also fitted with thermal imaging cameras, which can tell the difference between humans and animals.

• There are fingerprint scanners and facial recognition systems located at the entrances, allowing the team to analyse real-time data from park visitors and vehicles, and also cross-reference them for historic suspicious behaviour.
• The rangers patrol on foot and with vehicles, plus they have sniffer dogs. There’s even a freakin’ helicopter team on standby.

• Data is collected and analysed via a cloud-store system, which can help the team predict when the poachers plan to make their move.
• They collaborate with local police and have a lawyer on standby to ensure arrests stick. They’re also linked to a national database to identify criminals faster.

What about drone technology? Nope. Because the area is just too vast for the drones to cover.

Ah well, at least these upgrades have helped out a lot:

Since it began in 2015, the upgrades have brought about a 96% reduction in rhino poaching incursions, as well as reducing illegal incursions into the reserve by 68%.

Key to the success has been reducing ranger response time from 30 minutes to 7 minutes.

Awesome stuff, guys – keep up the good work.

[source:businessinsidersa]