Elephant poaching down with Cisco technology

See how networking infrastructure and thermal cameras are changing Kafue National Park.

Cisco has long been invested in conserving the planet. As a part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, Cisco aims to positively impact society, people, and the planet. Aligning with the United Nation’s Sustainable Goals, Cisco aims to transform humanitarian aid, teach millions of people IT skills, eliminate hunger, and more.

Now, with its new Sustainable Impact the company is expanding their conservation efforts into the realm of the mighty elephant. Elephants are one of the most sought-after creatures for poaching, primarily for their ivory tusks. Save The Elephants reports that between 2002 and 2011, the world’s forest elephant population was reduced by a whopping 62 percent. Cisco knows there is much more to be done in order to deter poaching.

For its next mission, Cisco partnered with World Wildlife Fund to establish real-time connected surveillance around Lake Itezi-Tezhi in Zambia’s Kafue National Park. As a popular watering hole for elephant herds, poachers often disguise themselves as fisherman and sneak across the lake to target elephants. By setting up four masts and FLIR thermal cameras across the lake, surveillance is connected to a newly built central command center where movements can be monitored, and poachers can be apprehended before approaching the shore from the lake.

Read on at The Network.