Game parks are increasingly turning to technology in the battle against poaching, with the Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape being the latest to go hi-tech.
Vodacom and Celcom have thrown their weight behind the fight against rhino poaching by introducing a new security measure aimed at helping to secure the park against poachers.
Smartphones will enable real-time tracking of rangers out in the veld, which is crucial in the safety and security environment. The Cmore application also allows rangers to enter information such as poaching incidents, poacher sightings, carcass locations, and logging a patrol.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Addo Elephant National Park Conservation Manager, John Adendorff, said that ranger teams needed the ability to detect events, follow forces in the field, collaborate between one another and receive rapid feedback.
“The Cmore-enabled cellphones will be issued per two-man patrol and will be switched on automatically to monitor the rangers’ positions, who are able to plot any incidents they come across in the field on the system. If needed, additional forces can be deployed immediately, effectively and precisely through GPS co-ordinates,” said Adendorff
The application was developed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and is an innovative technology tool that is based on modern web and mobile technology.
– African News Agency (ANA)
