Drones helped track down six groups of poachers in Primorsky Krai

Specialists of the national park "Land of the Leopard" in the south of Primorye were able to identify six groups of fishermen using drones, who illegally caught fish in protected rivers during the poutine season. This was reported in the press service of the organisation.

"Leopard Land" inspectors apprehended poachers with the help of Kalashnikov Concern's Zala drones. The intruders who were trying to catch red fish were detected from a height of over a kilometre and were unaware of it. During the poutine season, six groups of poachers were detected and neutralised with the help of drones," the report says.

It is noted that poachers' activities become more active from the end of August, when valuable species of red fish come to spawn in the rivers of the National Park, where fishing is prohibited. To combat them, drones are used, which allow to record violations. The devices also work at night, as they are equipped with thermal imaging cameras.

In addition to catching poachers, copters are also used to monitor forest fires and identify arsonists.

"The use of drones allows us to promptly receive coordinates of violators and quickly catch up with them, timely preventing the illegal catch of red fish," the report quoted the deputy director of the FGBU "Leopard Land" for protection Evgeny Stoma as saying.

The 369,000-hectare Leopard Land National Park has several spawning rivers, from which fishing is a criminal offence.