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Article

Using Drones with Thermal Imaging to Estimate Population Counts of European Hare (Lepus europaeus) in Denmark

by
Peter Povlsen
1,†,
Anne Cathrine Linder
1,2,*,†,
Hanne Lyngholm Larsen
1,
Petar Durdevic
3,
Daniel Ortiz Arroyo
3,
Dan Bruhn
1,
Cino Pertoldi
1,4 and
Sussie Pagh
1
1
Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
2
National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
3
Department of Energy, Aalborg University Esbjerg, 6700 Esbjerg, Denmark
4
Aalborg Zoo, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Drones 2023, 7(1), 5; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7010005
Submission received: 19 October 2022 / Revised: 8 December 2022 / Accepted: 18 December 2022 / Published: 21 December 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drone-Based Wildlife Protection, Monitoring, and Conservation Management)
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Abstract

Drones equipped with thermal cameras have recently become readily available, broadening the possibilities for monitoring wildlife. The European hare (Lepus europaeus) is a nocturnal mammal that is closely monitored in Denmark due to populations declining since the mid-1900s. The limitations of current population-assessment methods, such as, spotlight counts and hunting game statistics, could be overcome by relying on drone surveys with thermal imaging for population counts. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced drone with thermal imaging as a tool for monitoring the Danish hare population. Multiple test flights were conducted over agricultural areas in Denmark in spring 2022, testing various flight altitudes, camera settings, and recording methods. The test flights were used to suggest a method for identifying and counting hares. The applied use of this methodology was then evaluated through a case survey that had the aim of identifying and counting hares over an agricultural area of 242 ha. Hares could be detected with thermal imaging at flight altitudes up to 80 m, and it was possible to fly as low as 40 m without observing direct behaviorial changes. Thermal images taken at these altitudes also provided enough detail to differentiate between species, and animal body size proved to be a good species indicator. The case study supported the use of thermal imaging-based drone surveys to identify hares and conduct population counts, thus indicating the suggested methodology as a viable alternative to traditional counting methods.
Keywords: wildlife monitoring; UAV; unmanned aerial vehicle; aerial survey; population ecology; conservation biology; animal behavior; wildlife management wildlife monitoring; UAV; unmanned aerial vehicle; aerial survey; population ecology; conservation biology; animal behavior; wildlife management

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Povlsen, P.; Linder, A.C.; Larsen, H.L.; Durdevic, P.; Arroyo, D.O.; Bruhn, D.; Pertoldi, C.; Pagh, S. Using Drones with Thermal Imaging to Estimate Population Counts of European Hare (Lepus europaeus) in Denmark. Drones 2023, 7, 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7010005

AMA Style

Povlsen P, Linder AC, Larsen HL, Durdevic P, Arroyo DO, Bruhn D, Pertoldi C, Pagh S. Using Drones with Thermal Imaging to Estimate Population Counts of European Hare (Lepus europaeus) in Denmark. Drones. 2023; 7(1):5. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7010005

Chicago/Turabian Style

Povlsen, Peter, Anne Cathrine Linder, Hanne Lyngholm Larsen, Petar Durdevic, Daniel Ortiz Arroyo, Dan Bruhn, Cino Pertoldi, and Sussie Pagh. 2023. "Using Drones with Thermal Imaging to Estimate Population Counts of European Hare (Lepus europaeus) in Denmark" Drones 7, no. 1: 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7010005

APA Style

Povlsen, P., Linder, A. C., Larsen, H. L., Durdevic, P., Arroyo, D. O., Bruhn, D., Pertoldi, C., & Pagh, S. (2023). Using Drones with Thermal Imaging to Estimate Population Counts of European Hare (Lepus europaeus) in Denmark. Drones, 7(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7010005

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