Vodacom joins the anti-poaching rhino fraternity

MBOMBELA – A new tracking device has been developed to monitor and record the movement of rhinos in order to prevent poaching.
The tracking collar is a live-monitoring gadget and was developed by Vodacom and I-Detect.
It will be attached to the animal’s ankle and is powered by a solar panel. It sends three signals to alert rangers to possible poaching incidents.
The first alarm will signal when the rhino exceeds a speed of six kilometres per hour, the second when the animal is stationary for more than two hours and the third signals when the rhino ventures out of its habitual grazing area.

The device is positioned via GPS and transmits the rhino’s location via Global System for Mobile Communications. The initiative was presented to delegates at this year’s South African Tourism Service Association Conference in George in the Western Cape. The executive head of Vodacom, Mr Tony Smallwood, pointed out that some poached rhino had survived days after being shot and dehorned and that the technology could save them and also prevent other instances of poaching by picking up on the rhino’s behaviour.
Vodacom has wide geographic coverage and is therefore able to partner with I-Detect to provide this solution to rhino poaching. “Vodacom’s participation in this project is to provide the secure connectivity for the data that is collected on the tracking collar on the rhino’s ankle,” Smallwood concluded.