Conservation work using technology to educate ravens

[TortugaFriend]

The youtube algorithm brought up this video in my feed.

Found it interesting and exciting.

It's a couple of years old and might have already made the rounds here.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Unfortunately it can't be viewed in Finland, but interesting topic

 

[TammyJ]

I can't see it either.

 

[TortugaFriend]

I found an alternate link, hopefully this isn't geolocked like that youtube link was:

Eco-Hack! (Doc) — Brett Marty

An unconventional field biologist wages a high-tech war against ravens in the Mojave — think laser cannons, exploding tortoises, autonomous drones — in a last-ditch effort to save the last of the desert tortoise from extinction. Director : Brett Marty & Josh Izenberg Cinematography : Phil

www.brettmarty.com

UPDATE: that's just a previous. Darn. This link has a bit more information:

ECO-HACK!

Deep in the Mojave desert, an unconventional field biologist wages a high-tech war against ravens — think laser cannons, drones, exploding turtle shells — in a last-ditch effort to save the last few desert tortoises from extinction.

gooddocs.net

 

[TortugaFriend]

Another version hopefully this one works:

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Another version hopefully this one works:

This works for me!

 

[RandyTortoise]

The youtube algorithm brought up this video in my feed.

Found it interesting and exciting.

It's a couple of years old and might have already made the rounds here.

I hadn’t seen it before. But not being a conservationist, I personally would have opted for the easy solution and choose between saving a species and ravens (that are all over the globe) and used a shotgun. Problem solved

 

[TammyJ]

I hadn’t seen it before. But not being a conservationist, I personally would have opted for the easy solution and choose between saving a species and ravens (that are all over the globe) and used a shotgun. Problem solved

Or they could try to remove as many tortoises and eggs as possible to conserve them and relocate them out of Raven Country.

 

[TortugaFriend]

conserve them and relocate them out of Raven Country

Well, there's plenty of desert tortoise in private homes already, but the guidance is that they shouldn't go back to wild because they could take pathogens back to the original populations.

Tim Shields, the conservationist in the video, makes the point in another video that between 1975 and 1995 the raven population increased 1000% in the west Mojave desert.

I'm near downtown Los Angeles and we have great flocks of ravens. I admire how smart they are, but I also see how they pick on the hawks and other species here. They really know how to get into just about anything.

One strategy the video showed was finding their nests and spraying oil on the eggs which prevents the eggs from developing and eventually hatching. That seems to control their population as well as the hazing and seems to be having an impact.

 

[EppsDynasty]

I actually live VERY near where this is going on, even have spoke with some Biologist involved. This video is a scam....wonder why? Far more Desert Tortoises are killed from Solar than ANY other thing including Ravens. We are fighting right now to build a Desert Tortoise Sanctuary in Joshua Trees but are being told we can't because OUR Joshua Trees are protected. Protected by the SOLAR companies. They pay a fine to wipe out all foliage where they are putting solar panels in the Mojave and pay to protect the ones where we live. So we can't do ANYTHING around our trees because they are wiping out hundreds of square miles of the Joshua Trees in the Mojave. A real solution to this problem of ravens will never exist due to the lack of humans willing to change their behavior. EXAMPLE: In the town of Ridgecrest, Ca there is a pizza pizza place (I won't say their name) that throws dozens of pizzas away everyday in their dumpster. The Ravens have learned how to open up the dumpster and take out the pizza boxes. This business is in front of an old K Mart with a very big parking lot, it is now filled with pizza boxes and ravens. And while this is going on there are people charging their electric cars watching like it's a good thing ..... the electric cars AND the Ravens are both the problem but they got their "I love earth" stickers on the bumber so all's good. The Mojave is being filled with solar that powers every other state than CA, our solar electricity is sold as far away as New York. So ravens ain't a drop in the bucket compared to literally hundreds of miles of desert tort habitat being stripped of all forms of life.
Then there is the humans that are still taking torts from the wild and yet still no information from the state or anyone else about desert Torts and the protections they have. We deal with people in the Joshua Tree, Barstow, Mojave, Lancaster/Palmdale area every week that have no idea what they did is wrong. We have over 15 DT's that were poached from the wild but they cannot ever be put back by anyone. So why all this info about how ravens are destroying the DT population? So the real bad guy get's away .... but he gets to charge his car and phone from that solar that is saving the planet.

 

[Yvonne G]

Every little bit helps, Dana. Is this the be all, end all? No, but by gosh, at least he's doing SOMETHING. If we all just did something, we might be able to make a dent. This guy is training the ravens that probably pizza boxes is an easier meal than exploding baby tortoises. Good luck to him. I hope it works.

 

[EppsDynasty]

Every little bit helps, Dana. Is this the be all, end all? No, but by gosh, at least he's doing SOMETHING.

This is true BUT this Raven problem only exist where human excess is and they can then multiply. Go out in the middle of the Mojave and the number of Ravens is just the same as it's been for thousands of years. Get closer to town and you start to see those weird flying planes ...... O that's a raven/Crow. I do agree what he's doing helps in the moment but really wish some of our human flaws would start to be picked apart instead of brushing them under the rug in the name of 'Progress'.
Amanda and I are actually trying to work with the cities around Joshua Tree National Park to do informational sessions at visitor centers, city halls, community centers to teach about the DT and it's future if they "Don't keep Their Darn Hands off Of Them...." The group really trying this has gone towards Lazer Hazing techniques. They have come up with devices that emit laser beams out over the desert in hopes to discourage the Ravens from nesting in population centers.