DIMENSION DATA AND CISCO ANNOUNCE PROJECT TO PROTECT RHINO BY TRACKING PEOPLE

Dimension Data and Cisco are working together to reduce the number of rhinos being poached in South Africa. The two companies have deployed some of the world’s most sophisticated technology in an unnamed private game reserve adjacent to the worldrenowned Kruger National Park to monitor and track individuals from the time they enter the reserve gates, until they exit.

The goal is to proactively intervene and stop people entering the reserve illegally - whether it’s cutting fences, being dropped onto the ground by helicopters, or simply driving in through the entrance gates.

According to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs’ Report 2015, a staggering 1,215 rhinos were killed by poachers in 2014 alone. This equates to three rhinos being killed every day.

If the rate of poaching continues, rhino deaths could overtake rhino births by 2018, and the rhino could be non-existent in South Africa by 2025.

Dimension Data executive Bruce Watson explains: “Every day, hundreds of staff, suppliers, contractors, security personnel, and tourists enter and exit game reserves. The human activity in these environments is not monitored because, typically, the reserve is in a remote location with basic IT infrastructure and access control, manual security processes, and very limited communication.”

The solution employs a secure park area network; data collection and analysis via Cctv/biometric scanning; Wi-fi and local area networks at each entrance; LORA technology throughout the reserve; sensors on the reserve periphery and for tracking vehicles entering and exiting the reserve; thermal imaging along the park perimeter; connection to a national database; multiple devices with access to all data; threat alerts to help proactive decision making; automatic backup and continuous system availability; predictive modelling; and helicopters to ensure prompt response to identified threats.

"A staggering 1,215 rhinos were killed by poachers in 2014 alone"

“With our Connected Conservation technology, we don’t touch the animals by darting them with tranquilisers to insert sensors into their horns, or insert a chip under their skin. We have a proactive solution that tracks the movement of people instead of the animals themselves. There is no stress or trauma inflicted on the rhinos and they are left to roam free in their natural habitat,” says Watson. ■