Wildlife officials are using robotic bears to catch poachers(盗猎者)before they can do any damage to real bears.
Robotic taxidermal animals are serving as a new kind of undercover agents. Wildlife officers are using them to attract and catch poachers across the United States, according to the Washington Post.
The officers set up the animals in environments where shooting them is illegal and then wait out of sight for poachers who attempt to shoot. They can control the robots with a remote. Although the robotic animals can't walk or run, they are capable of making smaller movements like lifting their legs or turning their heads. And as recent reports suggest, they're realistic enough to be effective in attracting poachers.
Companies such as Robotic Decoys and Custom Robotic Wildlife sell a variety of mechanical animals, including deer, foxes, and bears. Mike Kleman, owner of Robotic Decoys, explains that he makes the animals by following the general taxidermy procedure of fastening a hide to a form. But then, he adds servo motors(伺服电动机)—the type also used in model cars and airplanes—to the neck, ears, tail, or legs. His robo-animals can be controlled using a radio remote or soon, an app.
Kleman's company is based in Wisconsin, but they ship to officers around the country. The robo-animals range from around $700 for a fox to $4, 800 for a moose, but organizations such as the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust ease the financial burden by donating robotic animals to cash-lacked government agencies. The organization has donated robotic animals to agencies in 16 different states, according to its website.
And in the future, the robo-animal agents could help deal with international poaching problems, too.
"I would like to figure out how to make rhinos, "Kleman told Popular Science. "There's a big issue overseas about rhino poaching. "
