Robotic Deer Will Help Catch Wildlife Poachers In Arizona

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There are robots that can serve you food and predict your next move, why shouldn’t there be robots to catch hunters gaming out of season?

In an ingenious move by the Arizona Game and Fish Department, a robo-deer will be used to catch unsuspecting – and illegal – hunters preying on animals before the deer season starts. The robotic deer, which was a gift from The Mule Deer Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping conserve mule deer in North America, moves its head and tail just like a real deer. The machine animal has no heartbeat, and its horns can be replaced to mimic live deer.

When a poacher shoots it, the game is reversed and authorities nearby will attempt to track the illegal hunter down.

“It’s important that people should know that they own that wildlife and that’s being taken from them just as if someone came into their backyard and snatched their dog,” agency spokesman Mark Hart said of the project that aims to protect the wildlife in Arizona.

According to KTAR News, the agency cited more than 600 people illegally attempting to hunt wildlife last year before the season even started.

Credit: Cronkite News Photo/Julia Thatcher
Credit: Cronkite News Photo/Julia Thatcher

With the help of the robo-deer, some of those poachers will be caught. They will face up to six months jail and a $750 fine. Some, however, believe the punishment should be even harsher. Said Terry Herndon, the regional director for The Mule Deer Foundation:

“The bottom line is thieves are thieves, and that’s what these folks are. They need to spend time in jail. I think there should be confiscation of weapons, confiscation of vehicles. I think they should go after where they live, too.”

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