India said Monday it is deploying drones over a reserve to safeguard the rare one-horned rhino from poachers, the first time the country has employed aerial technology to protect wildlife. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) gives patrols a new strategic advantage with an eye in the sky, allowing access into previously unreachable areas and a safe view of illegal activities on the ground.
"This is the first time in India that the UAV technology is being used for protecting the wildlife," Assam forest minister Rockybul Hussain told reporters in the state's main city of Guwahati. "The presence of the UAVs will also serve as a deterrent to poachers since they now know the parks are being monitored both on the ground and from above." The drones are being flown over the Kaziranga National Park, some 200 kilometres (120 miles) from Guwahati, in the north-east of the country, park officials said.