Anti-poaching tech helps nab poachers in Kenya

At least 26 poachers have been arrested after a new anti-poaching technology, a combination of thermal imaging cameras and human detection software, was introduced in the world-famous Masai Mara in northwest Kenya.

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a statement received on Tuesday that 24 poachers were nabbed in Masai Mara while two others were arrested at another national park in Kenya after nine months of the tech's installation.

"Wildlife rangers now have the help they have desperately needed. This groundbreaking technology allows them to search for poachers 24 hours a day, from up to a mile away, in pitch darkness. It's upping the game in our fight to stop wildlife crime across the region," said Colby Loucks who leads WWF's Wildlife Crime Technology Project.

The anti-poaching is one of the first times this technology is being used outside of the military and law-enforcement to protect wildlife.

"Poachers can no longer use the cover of night to run and hide. Their days of evading arrest are over," said Loucks.

WWF said it installed the thermal infrared camera that can identify poachers from afar by their body heat -- even in the dead of night -- and it has transformed the way rangers track down criminals since its introduction in March.

WWF said a ranger manning the camera can quickly communicate to his or her colleagues when an unauthorized person pans into view and guide them to the location. It is a surefire way for them to sneak up on and apprehend poachers.

"This technology is invaluable in our night surveillance work. The ability of our rangers to distinguish potential poachers from a large distance is nothing short of remarkable," said Brian Heath, CEO and Director of the Mara Conservancy. Endit