ARUSHA, Tanzania, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) will collar rhinos in the Serengeti National Park in an effort to monitor and protect them from poachers, an official said on Sunday.
The 111,320-U.S.-dollar endeavor which is coordinated by a team of wildlife experts from TANAPA, the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) and the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, is funded by the Friedkin Conservation Fund of Tanzania (FCF).
Gerald Bigurube, FZS country representative, said the frequent monitoring of rhinos will ensure their safety against poachers who are after their horns.
"The exercise is still ongoing inside the Serengeti National Park. Its aim is to keep check of the rhinos and monitor their health conditions," said the FZS official.
Already, a total of 21 herbivorous animals had been as of last year fitted with high-frequency devices to track them, and other groups of black rhinos were due to be fitted with LoRaWAN, according to the wildlife expert.
The LoRaWAN chips are small sensors that will be directly implanted in the horns of the rhinos.
They are designed to perform in a similar fashion to GPS chips but are far more energy efficient, which means the rhinos can be left largely undisturbed for long periods of time.
According to Bigurube, the project will also deploy drones and helicopters into the park.
Serengeti National Park Chief Warden, William Mwakilema, also expressed optimism over the project, saying it will help to secure the endangered species.
"This is a sensitive and crucial exercise which is well coordinated by a number of agencies including the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism," he said.
