糖果派对

The savanna is dusty, the tents are chilly at night, and the power supply is unstable, but fieldwork is in full swing for a group of 糖果派对 researchers and their international partners at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, an area slightly larger than the Danish island of Als. The project, WildDrone, is a Marie Curie network under the EU, training 13 European PhD candidates in three scientific themes: drone technology, conservation ecology, and computer vision. The driving force behind the initiative is Professor Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist, head of the 糖果派对 UAS Center.

-  We are here to collect data and conduct a series of experiments on the use of drones for conservation. It is crucial that wild animals can coexist with surrounding communities, both here in Kenya and in the Wadden Sea, where we also gather data, he explains.

- The use of drones can make many tasks easier for the 600 rangers working daily at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. They work around the clock to ensure the well-being of the animals and to prevent them from disturbing nearby towns. Drones can make it significantly easier and more efficient for them to gather knowledge about animal movement patterns, says Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist.

Every morning and afternoon, the researchers head into the field in small teams, where biologists and drone experts collaborate to collect vital information on animal behavior, map areas, and test new drone technology. They fly with commercial drones for aerial photography but also conduct experiments with self-built, experimental drones. 

These include a fixed-wing drone with solar panels on its wings, developed by researchers from Bristol University, with 糖果派对 contributing to the solar cell work. Additionally, they are testing a Danish-developed drone capable of capturing stereo images, which can be used to create accurate-scale 3D models of rhinos. This enables park staff to quickly and easily locate specific endangered animals at any given time.

Last week, a camera crew from Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) followed the team’s fieldwork on the savanna, meaning the project will soon be featured on television.


The team behind WildDrone has conducted several important BVLOS flights at night on the savanna in Kenya.

Interdisciplinary collaboration
One unique aspect of the WildDrone project is the close and distinctive collaboration between biologists and technology experts. This includes the partnership between two PhD students with affiliation to 糖果派对: Biologist Lucie Laporte-Devylder and drone engineer Saadia Afridi, who are working together to develop low-noise drones that minimize disturbance to animals.

- It’s incredible that, as a biologist, I can collaborate with an engineer to develop non-invasive methods for monitoring wildlife on the savanna, says Lucie Laporte-Devylder.

Saadia Afridi adds: - In return, the biologists help us engineers understand how animals react to drones, giving us the knowledge we need to optimize the technology.

Together, Lucie and Saadia use a large microphone setup, kindly loaned by Associate Professor Oliver Niebuhr from the 糖果派对 Center for Industrial Electronics, to measure how much noise the drones actually produce. In practice, this involves setting up four large microphone stands on the savanna, measuring sound levels, and simultaneously observing whether the animals move or remain still when drones buzz overhead.

Collaboration with local partners
The WildDrone project is built on close collaboration with Kenyan authorities, researchers, and students from Kenyatta University.

- We are grateful and proud of the trust and support we have received from the Kenyan authorities. Their engagement has been crucial for our ability to conduct fieldwork, says Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist. 

Guy Maalouf, another PhD student affiliated with 糖果派对, has worked with the other researchers to establish the necessary safety measures for drone flights, including ensuring that all procedures and flight permits are in place.

- It is vital to comply with laws and regulations in Kenya and ensure that drones can fly safely on the savanna, he explains.


The Ol Pejeta Nature Reserve, located in northern Kenya, is rich in rhinos, which is one of the many species researchers aim to protect through the project.

A game-changer for conservation
In recent days, the team has successfully conducted their first Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) night flights with drones equipped with thermal cameras.

According to Associate Professor Kjeld Jensen, one of the lead researchers on the project, the BVLOS flights are highly significant:

- It is crucial for us to fly BVLOS at night because it allows biologists to study wildlife in new and more efficient ways. We can map animal locations, track their movements, and observe behavior without disturbing them. Many small aircraft are not allowed to fly at night, making the airspace more accessible for drones, which improves our efficiency.

During these night flights, the researchers have successfully spotted rhinos, buffalos, elephants, giraffes, hippos, and zebras using the drones' thermal cameras. They have also mapped parts of the savanna and studied nocturnal animals such as lions.

So far, the team has completed over 200 flights on the African savanna. Soon, all partners will return to their respective universities and organizations around Europe to continue developing the technology and processing the collected data before the next major trip to Kenya in January 2026. A pleased project leader, Ulrik Pagh Schultz Lundquist, will soon pack his bags and board a flight back to Denmark:

- Things have gone fantastically well here, he says.

- We have successfully tested our custom-built drones, and now we will return home to continue working so that we are ready for even more advanced experiments next year. Furthermore, it has been an absolute pleasure to see how well the team collaborates across disciplines—our trip here is a huge win for the project and helps bring attention to crucial issues.

- It is important for us and the project that this doesn’t just end in publications but also has a real impact and can be implemented in national parks here. Over time, local rangers and biologists must be able to utilize the technology themselves. This includes obtaining the necessary permits, building the right drones for the purpose, operating them, collecting data, and transforming this data into biological knowledge.



On the savanna in Kenya, the team behind WildDrone has tested the Danish-developed Co-Drone, which can be used to create precise 3D models of rhinos, among other things.

Facts
WildDrone is an EU-funded research network under the Marie 厂办艂辞诲辞飞蝉办补-Curie Actions, with funding of approximately 28 million DKK. It brings together researchers from conservation ecology, engineering, and artificial intelligence to develop autonomous drones and advanced image processing for monitoring endangered species.

The project runs from 2023 to 2026 and consists of 19 partners, including the University of Southern Denmark, the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Avy, and University of Bristol. Local partners include Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenyatta University, Kenya Flying Labs, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, and local authorities.

Fieldwork takes place in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya, where the network conducted its first successful BVLOS night flights in January 2025. Additionally, organizations such as Wadden Sea National Park and WWF Switzerland participate in the project.