Animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) announced plans to launch hunter- and fisher-tracking unmanned aircraft in American airspace.
The non-armed unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will supposedly fly over popular fishing spots and wooded areas to make sure hunters comply with local, state, and federal law. PETA, which has an aggressive public relations arm and a history of publicity stunts, recently launched a campaign against the Iditarod.
PETA’s Kaitlynn Kelly said in an email that “PETA will soon have some impressive new weapons at its disposal to combat those who gun down deer and doves.” The organization published a blog post with details of the UAS project. Interestingly, PETA has not deployed the aircraft yet: The announcement was made to detail PETA’s plans to deploy the UAS–a strategy which earns the organization maximum publicity and minimum legal liability from any issues surrounding the real-life use of UAS. Although non-profit organizations in the United States can fly UAS (such as the popular AR.Parrot] and competitors such as the DJI Phantom), strict line-of-sight laws and FAA regulations turn actual use into much more of a legal grey area. In everyday life, use of UAS in the United States largely depends on the knowledge, sympathies, and sentiments of local law enforcement.
According to Kelly, PETA plans to purchase several Aerobot Cinestar Octocopters–eight-rotored octocopters designed for use by the film industry and landscape architects. The Cinestar is designed to carry heavy cameras and has a 20 minute flight time when carrying smaller cameras; it is also intended for use by a two-person crew. Aerobot, which is based in Australia, markets to an international customer base not constrained by the FAA’s rules.
Once deployed, the animal rights organization says it will use the UAS to collect footage of illegal activity such as hunters drinking while in possession of a firearm, maiming animals for fun (leading to possible persecution on animal cruelty counts), and using locally-forbidden hunting or fishing enhancements such as spotlights and speed lures. In a prepared statement, PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk said that “Slob hunters may need to rethink the idea that they can get away with murder, alone out there in the woods with no one watching.”
Source: Fast Company