Farmers in North Canterbury, New Zealand are now herding sheep with a drone outfitted with a speaker that barks like a dog. They say that a single drone can do the work of multiple dogs.
Shepherd Corey Lambeth, told Radio New Zealand that drones are very helpful.
“That’s the one thing I’ve noticed when you’re moving cows and calves that the old cows stand up to the dogs, but with the drones, they’ve never done that,” he said. He later added that the drones move livestock faster, and with less stress than the dogs do.
He also uses his drone to monitor their land, check on their water and feed supplies, and to check on livestock without disturbing them.
For comparison, a 2-hour herding job that generally requires two people and two teams of dogs can now be done in only 45 minutes using a single drone.
Source: RNZ/YouTube