Virtual fence saving hundreds of kangaroos
November 16, 2024 6:29 AM Subscribe
Wildlife rescuers say virtual fence saving hundreds of kangaroos on Victoria's Surf Coast.
Removing wildlife carcasses from the road is a usual morning for Jason Cichocki but he says a new technology has more than halved the number of animals colliding with vehicles.
there are also other ways to reduce collisions, some even similar with less tech, e.g.
reflectors, which reflect headlights to create an optical illusion of a fence and alert deer to oncoming vehicles, have been reported to reduce deer/vehicle collisions by 60 to 100% [humanesociety]posted by HearHere at 7:52 AM on November 16, 2024 [3 favorites]
What's next?
Experts say more research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual fences and the best solution is for road users to slow down.
"Every heartwarming human interest story inamerica australia is like "he raised $20,000 to keep 200 orphans kangaroos from being crushed in the orphan kangaroo-crushing-machine" and then never asks why an orphan kangaroo-crushing machine exists or why you'd need to pay to prevent it from being used."
but he says a new technology has more than halved the number of animals colliding with vehicles.
If we want to reduce the number to zero, I know of a few simple and cheap technologies for slowing down cars, with varying degrees of permanence.
posted by AlSweigart at 8:43 AM on November 16, 2024 [2 favorites]
Experts say more research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual fences and the best solution is for road users to slow down.
"Every heartwarming human interest story in
but he says a new technology has more than halved the number of animals colliding with vehicles.
If we want to reduce the number to zero, I know of a few simple and cheap technologies for slowing down cars, with varying degrees of permanence.
posted by AlSweigart at 8:43 AM on November 16, 2024 [2 favorites]
Great idea that appears to work...
Aaargh! what's this BS?
"We need both more data on these virtual fences to determine whether or not the claims that are being made about their effectiveness are correct"
I've worked with nature since 1990 and continually hear this, and when I raise concerns about lack of action the most common reply is 'we're building a database', and yet every wildlife person within 50km knows whatever the thing is it's a serious growing problem. And multiple times I've seen that process become so serious it is "too costly to solve". The anmoying thing about the scientific model is that merely having a science degree and practicing what one has learned gives no legitimacy to mere field officers and contractors.
posted by unearthed at 12:18 PM on November 16, 2024 [1 favorite]
Aaargh! what's this BS?
"We need both more data on these virtual fences to determine whether or not the claims that are being made about their effectiveness are correct"
I've worked with nature since 1990 and continually hear this, and when I raise concerns about lack of action the most common reply is 'we're building a database', and yet every wildlife person within 50km knows whatever the thing is it's a serious growing problem. And multiple times I've seen that process become so serious it is "too costly to solve". The anmoying thing about the scientific model is that merely having a science degree and practicing what one has learned gives no legitimacy to mere field officers and contractors.
posted by unearthed at 12:18 PM on November 16, 2024 [1 favorite]
The same article goes on to say
A three-year trial on Phillip Island between 2019 and 2022 compared roadkill numbers in fenced sections with unfenced sections and found there was no significant effect of the virtual fence on roadkill rates.
Ultrasonic roo shoo things that you attach to a vehicle have been around for decades and are the type of snake oil that people buying and selling them seem to really believe in but with no great evidence behind them actually working very well. This seems a lot like that.
posted by onya at 2:25 PM on November 16, 2024
A three-year trial on Phillip Island between 2019 and 2022 compared roadkill numbers in fenced sections with unfenced sections and found there was no significant effect of the virtual fence on roadkill rates.
Ultrasonic roo shoo things that you attach to a vehicle have been around for decades and are the type of snake oil that people buying and selling them seem to really believe in but with no great evidence behind them actually working very well. This seems a lot like that.
posted by onya at 2:25 PM on November 16, 2024
If we want to reduce the number to zero, I know of a few simple and cheap technologies for slowing down cars, with varying degrees of permanence.
Yes, well, until the day your glorious revolution arrives, I’m glad there are also people working on more immediate and practical solutions.
posted by zamboni at 3:57 PM on November 16, 2024 [4 favorites]
Yes, well, until the day your glorious revolution arrives, I’m glad there are also people working on more immediate and practical solutions.
posted by zamboni at 3:57 PM on November 16, 2024 [4 favorites]
Agreed zamboni.
Cars and critters are never going to interact well. Look at grizzley 399, killed by a car. And all the outpouring of love for her. We are not giving up our cars.
Anything that can help, helps. People are kind of shitty though, so...
posted by Windopaene at 7:50 PM on November 16, 2024
Cars and critters are never going to interact well. Look at grizzley 399, killed by a car. And all the outpouring of love for her. We are not giving up our cars.
Anything that can help, helps. People are kind of shitty though, so...
posted by Windopaene at 7:50 PM on November 16, 2024
I'm pretty dubious about the effectiveness of these devices. Like onya, I'm well aware of various devices that have been around for as long as I can remember, none of which actually work. The article itself talks about the impact of encroaching human habitats on wildlife - one of the worst of those impacts is significant reductions in the amount of wildlife in the area, so it's not unreasonable to suggest that the encroaching development in and around kangaroo habitats is the actual cause of lower roadkill numbers. It's also reasonable to suggest that, to prove the actual effectiveness, they need to compare fenced and unfenced sections at the same time. But meaningful studies take time and the wildlife deaths continue while people figure out how to reduce them.
Maybe we're thinking about this all wrong, though. Instead of trying to keep kangaroos off the road, maybe we should set up virtual fences that detect kangaroos on or near the road and disable all cars in the vicinity until the kangaroos have safely moved on? It seems much easier to control cars via a remote-activated kill switch than to control kangaroos, who have ungraciously ignored our warnings not to stand on roads and seem likely to continue doing so.
posted by dg at 3:42 PM on November 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Maybe we're thinking about this all wrong, though. Instead of trying to keep kangaroos off the road, maybe we should set up virtual fences that detect kangaroos on or near the road and disable all cars in the vicinity until the kangaroos have safely moved on? It seems much easier to control cars via a remote-activated kill switch than to control kangaroos, who have ungraciously ignored our warnings not to stand on roads and seem likely to continue doing so.
posted by dg at 3:42 PM on November 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
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