Xtend’s drone drops food to an orphaned vulture chick in Israel. Photo courtesy of Israel Raptor Nest CamAn endangered vulture chick stranded on a cliff ledge in the Judean desert became the unlikely poster child for the Israeli drone industry.
Griffon vultures are monogamous and increasingly rare. Hundreds of pairs could be found in the skies over Israel until the 1950s. Today, fewer than 60 pairs remain.
So, when a chick was born in February to the happy pair K74 (female) andT49 (male), conservationists were overjoyed.
Mother, father and baby were monitored by Israel Raptor Nest Cam
Mother, father and baby were monitored by Israel Raptor Nest Cam in a project coordinated by the Israeli Nature Parks Authority and the Israel Ornithological Center of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.
All seemed to be going well, with both parents bringing food to the chick until it was able to hunt by itself.
Then disaster struck.
In June, K74 flew into a power line and was electrocuted. The suddenly single dad, T49, was not able to care for his offspring alone.
At first, conservationists thought about sending a human climber to take the chick into captivity – not an ideal situation, but at least it would be fed properly and have a chance to survive.
Then another option was suggested. What if carrion could be sent to the chick – by drone? That would allow the chick to continue to live in the wild until it was old enough to fly.-- More...
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