The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has launched a project to use hobby-class UAS to monitor hunters and capture any “illegal or cruel hunting practices.”PETA is selling its rebranded AR Drone 2.0 “Air Angels” hobby UAS for $324.99 to members and other interested parties through its online catalogue. The organization recently deployed unmanned aircraft in Massachusetts to keep an eye on bowhunters, capturing video of a demonstration run that can be viewed on PETA’s website.
“PETA’s UAS will help protect wildlife by letting hunters know that someone may be watching—and recording—them, so they should think twice before illegally killing or maiming any living being,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. “Wildlife watchers outnumber wildlife killers five to one—and if even a fraction of these kind people use hobby UAS, they’ll make a huge difference by exposing hunters’ dirty secrets.”
The organization was optimistic about the appeal of its new project and hobby UAS, saying it “expects that people will soon see the devices flying all over the country.”
PETA listed some of the hunting practices flyers of Air Angels should watch for as “failing to follow an injured deer, laying bait to lure geese, or leaving bear cubs orphaned.”
The organization also said it hoped people using drones to monitor hunters would watch out for and collect video footage of “any illegal activity, including drinking while in the possession of a firearm; using spotlights, feed lures, and other forbidden hunting tricks; and maiming animals and failing to pursue them.”
So does all of this jibe with regulations around flying radio-controlled planes in public spaces and using surveillance equipment to snoop on people? The Air Angles project and its tactics are above board and in compliance with the law, PETA said.
“The UAS that PETA is selling will be flown recreationally (to protect animals), so no license is needed. Commercial use of this technology involves restrictions.”
Source: PC Mag