The tags, often equipped with AI, allow researchers to know not only the location of the animal, but also its weight, speed, temperature and calorie consumption.
“We can read their behavior and even their interactions with other animals, which is incredibly important, for instance, for the spread of disease,” Wikelski says. The advanced technology allows him to discern “if a horse is running on grass or gravel, if a female bird is nesting, and whether a penguin in Antarctica is returning to his family with a full belly.” He likens the system to “fitbands for penguins, but they work much better than the ones available for humans.”
One of the first species Wikelski’s team of 40 researchers wants to focus on once the new satellite is up and running are African flying foxes — “the most important gardeners in Africa,” according to Wikelski. “They fly over deserted areas nobody dares to visit right now, including in South Sudan or Burkina Faso, and drop seeds, reforesting the areas. We know now that their actions are incredibly important for the climate.”
This example illustrates some of the research ICARUS 2.0 can accomplish that was previously impossible, revealing how animals shape landscapes. “Unbelievably exciting,” Wikelski exclaims, his enthusiasm for his research infectious. He is convinced the costs will continue to plummet until tagging is affordable for most conservation groups. He envisions eventually not only tagging animals but also, for instance, fishing nets so ghost nets can be located and don’t drift in the seas, where they would otherwise endanger innumerable fish and mammals.
For him, tagging an animal requires weighing the benefits with the stress it causes the animals. “If they work for us, then we have to give them back so much that it’s a net benefit for them,” Wikelski explains. “Maybe not for each single individual, but if we tag 100 stork and that enables us to save 10,000 storks from electrocution, that’s a net benefit for the species.”
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He recently returned from a trip to Sardinia, Italy, where he helped band flamingos. “In half an hour we caught and banded four dozen young flamingos,” he reports, taking less than 30 seconds for each animal so as not to stress them. The new generation of tags is embedded within the band and able to monitor them for the duration of their lives. “After two days, we already had 2,000 data points.”
Of course, Wikelski’s team is aware that poachers would love to access this wealth of data, too. “Our communication is encrypted,” Wikelski says. “Even if they listened to us, they wouldn’t be able to understand it.” Data for critical species is kept strictly confidential. Only the head of conservation at Kruger can access the location of critical species, for instance rhinos.
From goats that outsmart volcano headlines to vultures that save both wildlife and people, ICARUS is proving that animals are not just part of the planet’s ecosystems, they’re active collaborators in keeping it alive.
Scrolling photos courtesy of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and Christian Ziegler.