Drones Uncover Complexity of Wild Horse Society: Hungarian Study
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Researchers reveal complex society of wild horses using drones
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Researchers of the Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN), the University of Debrecen (UD), the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) and the Hortobágy National Park Directorate investigated the social system of the Przewalski’s horse herd in Hortobágy by combining drone-based movement analysis and long-term population monitoring data. The researchers used two drones to track the movements of each individual in the herd of 278 Przewalski’s horses with high temporal and spatial resolution, while individually identifying most of the animals. The results show that wild horses, just like humans, live in a complex, multilevel society, the structure of which ‒ and even group changes in the past and future ‒ can be understood with the help of high-resolution aerial videos. The paper presenting the research was published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Communications.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is helping to save endangered Asian wild horses, which one may be familiar with from prehistoric cave paintings, on the Hortobágy National Park. Students and researchers from Debrecen University are observing the behaviour of Przewalski horse herds with drones, whose high-resolution footage is processed by Microsoft Azure and analysed by AI, which distinguishes the horses from other animals, like the cattle also present in the area. Artificial Intelligence is tackling a formerly months-long workload within just a few minutes, and from a distance so without disturbing the animals.
Hungary is home to several endangered species like the Great Bustard (Otis tarda), which many of us are familiar with, as it is displayed within the logo of the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Association. What is not that well known is that Hungary hosts the world’s largest wild horse population within semi-wild conditions. About 300 protected Przewalski h