Dimension Data and Cisco take anti-poaching tech into Africa

Dimension Data and Cisco are expanding their anti-poaching Connected Conservation programme into Zambia, Kenya, and Mozambique to continue protecting rhino, as well as help fight the war on the startling numbers of African savanna elephant being poached.

This move follows a successful pilot which saw the two companies install some of the world's most sophisticated technology in a private game reserve located next to the world-renowned Kruger National Park in South Africa.

Since the technology for Connected Conservation was deployed in the private reserve in November 2015, the number of rhino poaching incidents has been reduced by 96%.

In 2017, no rhino in the reserve were poached.

Every day, hundreds of suppliers and contractors, staff, security personnel, and tourists enter and exit game reserves and parks around the world.

The human activity in these environments is often not monitored because the reserve is in a remote location with basic IT infrastructure and access control, manual security processes, and very limited communication.

"Many organisations have committed to protecting animals through various reactive initiatives, such as dehorning, or inserting sensors in the horn and under the subcutaneous layer of skin," says Dimension Data group executive, Bruce Watson.

"However, the problem with reactive initiatives is that by the time the reserve rangers reach the animal, it has been killed and the rhino horn or elephant tusks have been hacked off.

"With the Connected Conservation model, the technology is designed to proactively protect the land against humans. The animals are not touched, and are left to roam freely while a 'layered' effect of sophisticated technology, people and gadgets protect them.

Cisco and Dimension Data's vision is to replicate the solution in South Africa, Africa, and globally to protect all forms of endangered species including lion, pangolin, elephant, tigers in India and Asia, as well as sharks and sea rays in the ocean.

The next project is already underway in an unnamed park in Zambia - this will be followed by Kenya and then Mozambique with a strong focus on protecting elephant.

ZDNet has also reported that Dimension Data's group executive for the Cisco Global Alliance Bruce "Doc" Watson says they have even had requests to look at how the tech can be applied to protecting marine life in New Zealand.

Other equipment being deployed in Zambia includes:

• Fixed thermal cameras mounted on radio masts which creates a permanent, virtual barrier on the park's perimeter. The cameras which scan the park's entry and exit gates are controlled by operators located in the control room.  
• CCTV analytics will be deployed to create a virtual trip-line that automatically detects the movement of fishermen and boats on the lake.  Over time, park officials will be able to analyse the data and build a pattern of movement, as well as alert operators when there's night-time movement across the barrier.
• Outdoor Wi-Fi will also be mounted on the radio masts so that handheld devices and thermal cameras used by the rangers and security teams can be viewed and shared, and staff on the ground will be able to connect and communicate without their conversations being intercepted by poachers.