You may have already witnessed how drones can help in public security or law enforcement, but how about wildlife management? In this case study, we explore a unique story of wildlife preservation through Dronestitute Corp., a drone training consultancy based in Lafayette, Louisiana. Utilizing the EVO II Dual 640T V2 of Autel Robotics, they helped a ranch owner to execute a challenging search and recovery mission for a rare, expensive deer that otherwise would have passed away.

The Ranch, And Impending Recovery

Jason Reed, the owner of J Ranch II, wanted to bring a rare, expensive deer he recently bought from Rattlesnake Point Ranch to his own ranch, and he wanted George Femmer, a photographer and also CEO of Dronestitute, to shoot a documentary for this process. The team quickly realized the difficulty in capturing and transporting the deer before it shed its antlers and became nearly impossible to distinguish from the other deer at Rattlesnake Point Ranch. Seeing the advantage provided by drone technology on their first unsuccessful attempt to capture the deer, George was asked to help track the deer using drone technology instead of filming. 

The steep ranch terrain was hard for people to navigate, the thick trees and brush restricted visibility, and the Axis deer species is known to be fast, strong, and easily spooked. With these specific challenges in mind, George believed drones were the best choice to keep everyone safe, and have the best chance at recovering this deer.

By the time George arrived at the ranch on the second trip, this time with an Autel drone, the darting and search professionals at J Ranch II had been working for 7 hours, unsuccessfully identifying the deer from the herd. Within just 15 minutes of flying, he utilized the EVO II 640T drone that comes with thermal imagery to identify the correct deer. It was his first flight of an Autel drone except for his initial flight test.

Once the deer was identified, the team’s next step was to wait until nighttime to lure the deer in for tranquilization. Only one feeder was kept active across the ranch to encourage the target deer to feed right next to a deer blind where the team was waiting. After waiting for hours, the target did not show up for food, so another deployment of the 640T was needed to locate the target before the next morning when they had to leave the ranch. On the second flight the next morning, it took George only 5 minutes to identify the target deer once again out of many other deer at the ranch using the thermal camera.

He informed the team that the deer was heading to the feeder, and waited on confirmation that the deer was successfully darted. Then, by way of the wide camera, he informed the animal capture expert of the exact location of the downed animal. George was able to guide his way to the target in real time, charting the best path through the difficult terrain, and ensuring that no predator could harm the deer while he was down. The animal capture expert with help of George and the 640T found the target faster than on any capture before, even in less challenging terrain. Finally, with the deer was safely placed into the trailer and sent back to J Ranch II.

Not The First Choice, But One That Made A Big Surprise

When asked to use drone technology to help track the deer instead of filming, George’s first choice was not Autel. That said, the EVO II 640 proved to be a great surprise:

"Your system was quite literally the difference between life or death for that animal. The EVO II allowed us to quickly locate the deer before it passed due to not receiving the reversal in time." 

Jason Reed, the owner of J Ranch II, also acknowledged the use of the drone in the operation: "Without the thermal drone, we would not have been able to find that deer, and he would have died. But thanks to it, we found the deer quickly and safely. We've now integrated drones into our process to continuously improve the care we provide to our animals and staff."

When looking closely at exactly how the 640T performed, there are standout details that reaffirm it was the right tool for the job.

Thermal Advantages

Dronestitute harnessed the thermal and wide cameras to their advantage in this scenario. This powerful combination facilitated the search process, with thermal of particular importance in this scenario to identify the target. The thermal camera allowed for seamless detection of the deer, despite the surroundings proving as challenging as they were.

High-Resolution Imaging

The EVO II Dual 640T V2 drone's high-resolution cameras provided footage from a long stand-off distance without disturbing the deer during the operation. The clarity and details captured by the cameras significantly aided the search team in tracking and recovering the deer efficiently and safely, and George, a professional photographer himself, praised the video quality of the drone throughout the job.

Enhanced Situational Awareness

With stable hovering and real-time transmission of media streams, the Autel drone assisted those on the ground via its easy-to-use remote controller. This greatly enhanced situational awareness for the team, enabling quick and well-informed decisions to accelerate the entire operation while protecting the crew from any possible dangers.

User-Friendly Experience

Despite the challenging terrain, the intuitive user interface and flight control operations of the EVO II Dual 640T V2 made it easy for the Dronestitute team to operate the drone effectively. Even as first-time users, they experienced seamless control and navigation, ensuring a successful mission.

Future Collaboration

Building on the success of this mission, Dronestitute plans to integrate Autel products into their drone training courses and showcase their capabilities through their YouTube channels. Beyond that, the drone training company has now joined Autel’s Proof Of Concept program, seeking to find even more new possibilities for Autel products, such as team communication through private networks in areas of poor public network quality.

Wrapping Up

The partnership between Dronestitute and Autel Robotics highlights the invaluable role of drones in wildlife management and search and recovery operations. The remarkable success achieved in locating and recovering the expensive deer showcases the transformative power of Autel drones in challenging and critical scenarios.

This real-life case study demonstrates the capabilities and effectiveness of Autel drones in wildlife management and highlights their potential to revolutionize the way we approach similar challenges in the future.

For more information about Autel drones and our wide range of applications, visit our website to read more case studies. Explore the innovative features and industry-leading performance that make Autel drones the preferred choice.