VolAero Drones is working with famed outdoorsman Bill Booth to demonstrate that drones equipped with the latest thermal imaging equipment can effectively spot and track pythons at night – the prime hunting time.
Over 100,000 Burmese pythons infesting the Florida Everglades have decimated 90 percent of small wildlife while surviving all attempts at eradication.
“Python hunters finally have a tool to make hunting more efficient, bringing down the python numbers that are devastating Florida’s Everglades,” said Booth. “This drone and thermal technology is light-years ahead of shining a flashlight into the darkness and hoping for the best. The thermal imagery picked up not just the monster pythons, but also native snakes as small as 18 inches. This suggests that we’ll be able to spot and eliminate clusters of python hatchlings, which will help curb their reproductive cycle.”
The demonstration video, (https://youtu.be/5gviPwEvk-o) recorded at night in the Florida Everglades on Nov. 11, clearly shows the thermal outline of a massive Burmese python being captured by Bill Booth.
“We are happy to advance our relationship with Bill Booth, Florida’s number one snake hunter. Along with Bart Bruni, of Bruni Infrared Inc., who is one of 21 certified Master Thermographers in the world, we’ve put tech to use where traditional methods have been ineffective in resolving this environmental challenge,” said Charles Zwebner, CEO of VolAero.
VolAero will be sharing this demonstration with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Everglades National Park, South Florida Water Management District and other organizations engaged in python eradication campaign.
Zwebner invites inquiries from interested parties wishing to collaborate on drone technology solutions to environmental challenges. VolAero has also started a crowdfunding campaign.
Source: Press Release