Rhino tracking- report by Nimmit Shah(Hub N group 5)

Introduction Global engineering challenge was the amalgamation of engineers from various subsets with the intention of finding a simple solution to a complex problem.

For the most part, our research focused on how to save Ugandan Rhinos. Uganda, at the moment, is facing an economic crisis and is politically unstable, making it a hub for poachers. Therefore, looking for sponsors who would agree to help us save these “harmless” creatures from extinction was very hard. The existing charities, namely Rhino Fund Uganda (RFU), The Uganda Wildlife Society and Save the Rhino, are already attempting to accomplish this feat. These charities are likely to be interested in our idea as we have one thing in common: to prevent poaching.

Initial ideasThe initial ideas that came up were the use of:

microchips, thermal imaging, ground Sensors oral-tracking via smart pill.

The feasibility of these ideas is dependent on whether they meet the following criteria: economic feasibility, ability to be recycled, ease of production and should have a lasting life cycle (product usage phase should be up to 5 years). Microchips are very accurate and can transmit signals over a long range but are very expensive and require specialist equipment to translate the information. Thermal imagining is non-invasive to the rhino, and can work during the night. While this keeps a constant note of the whereabouts of the rhinos, this method requires a lot of cameras which don’t have a sufficient functionality in fog, smoke, and rain. The other ideas that were brainstormed were decided to be unsuitable.

Final idea and its benefitsOur research was based on getting a device that would monitor the vital signs of the rhino, relay GPRS signals and other information back to the rangers. This information can alert the rangers if the heart rate of the rhino is above or below a specific bandwidth suggesting that the rhino is either in trouble, or possibly that it is being poached. This allows the rangers to get there in time and help/ save the rhino from any possible danger and catch the poachers before they get a chance to escape.

The solution was simple, having two microchips implanted into the rhino. The first microchip would be adapted from current pacemaker technology and used to measure the Rhinos vital signs. The limitation of this technology is that this type of tracker only emits over a short range, therefore it would require another chip that would be able to pick up these signals and relay them back to the rangers. The second chip does that effectively, also fitted with a gprs is able to send this signals including its location back to the rangers. To make this combo more effective the second chip is drilled onto the horn of the rhino and sealed with dental cement hiding it from the naked eye. If the horn is removed from the rhino the gprs device can relay the position of the horn therefore making it easier and safer to track down the poachers, another benefit of it being placed in the horn is that if it was moved to far from the first chip it cannot pick up on its signals which can inform the rangers that the horn is removed (see figure1).

Problems faced Firstly which rhinos should these trackers be placed on? Males do grow longer horns as they need them in

combat against other males for a chance to mate but females are the one that will keep this species alive and so picking a few large rhino bulls and lots of female rhinos would be one solution as this trackers are expensive to install on all the rhinos.

A trained team of veterinarians will be needed for this, as they will be needed to administer and immobilize the rhinos using M99 (etorphine hydrochloride- a tranquilizer that is chemically similar to morphine). Rhinos require less than 5mg of M99 to be sedated and revived using the revival drug M5050. Alongside this team of doctors, a group of rangers will be required to assist in darting the rhino and ensuring the safety of the doctors as they install these microchips.

The rangers are unskilled when it comes to operating the computer, let alone using complex software’s that are used for tracking. The best solution that was proposed is using google maps with a discrete login and password so that only the rangers know where the rhinos are and not the public. To do this it will required to gather information from the microchips output about the positioning data which is transferred over a GPRS link to the mobile operator’s GGSN and then to a remote server over a TCP connection which then can be opened up in an HTML page with an embedded JavaScript code.

Accomplishments/ ICE development objectives From day 1, our group participated in lots of group activities that enabled us to develop our team building

skills but most of all collaborating with engineers from other fields enabled lots of problems to be solved using simple solutions.

Communication between team members from different backgrounds and countries allowed for a wider range of possible ideas and solutions which can be cheaper and readily available.

Managing time was done effectively by setting out goals to accomplish for each day and assigning specific tasks to each member to complete and then at the end of the day discussing what we learnt.

Working with a wide range of personalities allowed deciding who is best to perform different tasks such as; researching, typing in the report, presenting and answering questions.

Conclusions Having a simple idea to a huge problem in Uganda, won us the best engineering solution. The device created is made up of two chips that work side by side to notify rangers of possible poaching therefore helping to catching this poachers and preventing a further destruction to the every few rhinos that Uganda has to offer.

References http://www.ice.org.uk/Information-resources/Downloads/ICE-3005A-(Word)---Development-Objectives (opened on 20/03/2014)

Figure 1. A graphic image of a rhino whose horn has been removed.