ZALA drones help fight fires in Primorsky Krai

ZALA unmanned aerial vehicles have taken control of the territory of the Leopard Land national park. Invisible to humans, the aerial scouts will monitor fires and identify arsonists who are trying to harm the home of red-listed leopards and tigers. This is reported by DV-ROSS with reference to the press service of the National Park.

The use of drones in the National Park became possible thanks to the assistance of the Primorsky State Unitary Enterprise "Primorsky base of aviation, ground protection and forest protection" and with the support of the Far Eastern Leopards Autonomous Nonprofit Organisation. Modern equipment allows surveillance at an altitude of up to 3 kilometres - in such conditions, it is impossible to hear or see a small aircraft with the naked eye. At the same time, the drone itself can perfectly see everything that happens near the borders of Leopard Land using a camera with a 60x zoom capability.

Data from the device is transmitted to the mobile headquarters in real time. This allows ground-based teams of Leopard Land state inspectors to respond quickly to the appearance of flames near the borders of the protected area. Thermal imaging cameras make it possible to conduct observations even at night and in poor visibility conditions. Depending on the situation, weather conditions and operational data, the drones will be used to monitor the most fire-prone areas and identify trespassers.

"The positive experience of Primorskaya Airbase specialists in identifying fires and even arsonists has shown the effectiveness of such fire situation control," emphasised Viktor Bardyuk, Director of FGBU Leopard Land. - Fires pose a real threat to rare animals, which are defenceless in the face of this destructive element. We would like to thank ZALA AERO, part of Kalashnikov Concern, the Far Eastern Leopards Autonomous Nonprofit Organisation and the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife Protection of Primorsky Krai for their cooperation.

Despite the fact that dry weather is a favourable factor for wildfires, in the majority of cases humans are responsible for them. The rules of the special firefighting regime introduced in Primorye and Leopard Land categorically prohibit the use of fire in fields, forests and other lands.

Since the beginning of the fire-hazardous period, the employees of Leopard Land have already extinguished four major fires near the borders of the National Park. Thousands of hectares of fields outside the national park have burned out. Every year, many residents of the district feel the severity of the fire situation on their own. Smoke from local fires across the Amur Bay periodically envelops even Vladivostok. Earlier, a leopard kitten was rescued from a fire in the south of Primorye.

Now, at the height of spring, the situation with fires in Primorsky Krai has become extremely tense. A single spark can lead to a disaster that will result in the death of a huge number of animals and plants, including red-listed ones. "Leopard Land urges everyone to show respect for nature and be careful when handling fire, because negligence can end in tragedy.

The employees of the National Park took a number of necessary preparatory and preventive measures. Thus, more than 250 km of mineralised strips have been prepared. Employees of the forestry department with the support of the protection department are constantly monitoring forest fires.