War on rampant rhino poaching goes high tech with new drones

Rhinoceros poaching has escalated wildly in South Africa, with the price of horns now topping gold in Asia, where they're used in medicines. So Google has come up with some gold of its own to aid in the war on poachers: $5 million earmarked for drone airplanes operated by tablet computers that can photograph illegal hunters and track the animals through the use of radio tags. Wildlife officials are hoping to slow killings that have reached 558 this year (up from just 13 in 2007) and put wild rhino populations in peril. "We need solutions that are as sophisticated as the threats we face," said World Wildlife Fund president Carter Roberts. [Source]

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