Poachers hacking animal tracking data

[Catherine]

Poachers just keep finding ways to be more and more despicable.

Scientists working to help species, especially newly re-introduced species, have a new problem.
Poachers are hacking into the data from tracking collars to hunt the animals down.
There is actually a number of ways the data is being misused.

http://www.cbc.ca/1.3972929


The people involved in the shark project must have been horrified. Anyone who is studying animals does so to protect them.
Scientists are going to have to become more clever than the poachers. Maybe they need false signals to throw the poachers off or lead them in circles.
The poachers become clever, the good guys will have to be more clever.

[LPC]

Humans are a mixed bunch. For every step of the way, those protecting the animals have to take precautions against those who want to kill and attack them. Even then, those determined to kill will find a way to break the rules. Cecil the lion (whose case was discussed often on this forum) was meant to be protected, but they tempted him out of his game reserve.

Sadly, until humans as a species all agree to protect other life forms, these hack/protect/hack/protect manoevres will go on....

[Catherine]

I don't know if the human species is going to end up splitting into two different groups or if we will somehow pull some of them out of their barbaric ways. Right now we seem to be going in two directions. Maybe it is just that some people have moved forward so much faster than others. We need those people to influence the rest and open their eyes.

I really want to believe that someday we will be a species the planet can be proud of, but right now so many humans are an embarrassment to the rest of us.

For now scientists have to be clever and wily.

It is really sad that people who are clever enough to hack things can't use those skills for good.

[Tobi]

(02-13-2017, 01:29 PM)Catherine Wrote: I don't know if the human species is going to end up splitting into two different groups or if we will somehow pull some of them out of their barbaric ways. Right now we seem to be going in two directions. Maybe it is just that some people have moved forward so much faster than others. We need those people to influence the rest and open their eyes.

I really want to believe that someday we will be a species the planet can be proud of, but right now so many humans are an embarrassment to the rest of us.

For now scientists have to be clever and wily.

It is really sad that people who are clever enough to hack things can't use those skills for good.

Maybe that is what's happening, and I feel you are right Catherine. The people who care seem to be getting more responsible and caring. And those who don't care seem to be getting worse! Either that, or because of information travelling faster than it used to, we are hearing about more crimes against animals than we did some years ago.

[Catherine]

Quote:Maybe that is what's happening, and I feel you are right Catherine. The people who care seem to be getting more responsible and caring. And those who don't care seem to be getting worse! Either that, or because of information travelling faster than it used to, we are hearing about more crimes against animals than we did some years ago.

We certainly hear about the bad things soon enough.
Maybe they are not getting worse. We are getting better and we are aware of how bad some actions are.
Many things that distress us now were the norm a few years ago.

There are a lot of people who see things in a better light and act better.
That will make people like poachers stand out even more.

If only we could stop poachers.