Following the Marshall Fire, A Drone Team Is Using Infrared Cameras To Assist In The Search.
Sloan Dickey
SUPERIOR, Colo. — The city of Superior, Colorado, has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. The Marshall Fire has been burning for more than two weeks and many pet owners are holding out hope that they will be reunited with their beloved creatures.
Hundreds of pins are scattered throughout a public web map, indicating locations where residents claim their pets are still missing.
A drone operator with an organization called the Animal Survival and Safety Emergency Response Team (ASSERT) named Douglas Thron has cause to be optimistic.
From the air, he is flying to the areas shown on the map and meticulously assessing each individual property.
His aircraft can detect heat signals that would otherwise be undetected by the naked eye, even at night, thanks to infrared technology.
It's just a matter of taking the drone and mounting the infrared camera, as well as the flashlight and zoom lens. I take a flight over. Thron explained that he had discovered the animal's thermal signature. We're able to travel to the location and either hand capture the animal or set up a live trap because we have the GPS data.
Thron has logged tens of thousands of hours using infrared drones to track down animals. It has led him throughout the world to look for koalas in Australia, hyenas in Africa, and domestic pets across the United States as part of his lifelong passion project. Indeed, he will be the subject of an upcoming documentary series titled "Doug to the Rescue," which will highlight the technologies employed in Superior.
Being able to return the animals to their owners provides them with a ray of hope that, no, not all is lost, according to Thron. It's gratifying only to be able to save the animals themselves and witness the animals' rescue and recovery.
Despite the fact that Thron constructed the drone himself, the technology is not new. It is the same technology that is used by police departments to track down individuals who are fleeing from the law. Thron, on the other hand, claims to be the first person to use it for pet rescue following a calamity.
According to Thron, using a drone and infrared technology for the welfare of society is analogous to employing a drone. It's encouraging to see technology being put to good use in order to preserve a large number of endangered animals and people's long-lost pets.
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