Latest Tactic To Keep Wolves Away From Livestock: Dive-Bomb Them With Drones https://tinyurl.com/7bk7esv2 Dive-bombing wolves with drones has scared wolves away from cattle in Oregon, and a wolf conservation advocate says she wants to try the same thing in Wyoming and Colorado. “At first, if you’re just flying over, the wolf is curious. Like, ‘Is that a bird? What’s a bird doing up there?’” Kim Bean told Cowboy State Daily. “The minute that loudspeaker goes off, it’s amazing how quickly that animal spins and goes,” added Bean, the founder and president of Wolf and Wildlife Advocates. Getting a wolf-deterrent drone program off the ground won’t be cheap. Drones capable of carrying the necessary equipment, such as loudspeakers and night-vision cameras, cost about $5,000 to $10,000 each said Bean, who has invested in two of them so far. If the idea catches on, cattle and sheep ranches might be able to use them for more than just chasing off wolves. They could also possibly be used to scare away other predators, such as bears and mountain lions, she said. And they might be handy for making regular checks on livestock, and perhaps even catching human cattle rustlers in the act, Bean added. (fb)

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