Pharos Data · Wildlife and livestock counts
Count them in the dark.
Animals are hardest to count when they matter most: at night, in thick bush, spread across a reserve. In thermal, every warm body stands out against the cooling ground. The station that protects the reserve at night can count it too.
The problem
Counts that cost a fortune and go out of date.
A census from a helicopter is expensive, noisy and done once a year. Counting on foot or from a vehicle misses what is hidden in the bush. Between counts, nobody really knows how many animals there are or where they are.
- Yearly counts that are out of date within months
- Helicopter time that eats the budget
- Animals missed in thick bush and at night
- Lost or injured animals found too late
What we offer
What the station does for you.
Game and livestock counted on thermal, when animals are active and easiest to separate from the bush.
Regular counts of each camp or area, so changes show between counts, not once a year.
A missing animal, a calf or an injured one found on thermal and its position sent to your team.
Waterholes and boundary fences checked from the air, with any breaks logged on the map.
Why counts matter
What a good count gives your reserve.
A count is not a number for the annual report. It drives the decisions that keep the reserve healthy.
Knowing how many animals the veld is carrying, before overgrazing shows in the grass.
Reliable numbers behind every sale, introduction and relocation decision.
Regular counts show when predators or prey are shifting, while there is still time to act.
Knowing where your high value animals spend the night tells anti-poaching where to watch.
How we count
A method your ecologist can trust.
Counts are only useful if they compare. We fly them the same way every time.
Areas, routes, height and timing are agreed with your ecologist before the first count.
Thermal separates warm animals from the cooling ground at night. The colour camera confirms species by day.
The same routes on the same kind of night, so a change in the count is a change in the animals.
Counts and sightings go onto your map, including EarthRanger, with a date and a position.
On the farm
Livestock too.
The same station counts livestock on a farm.
Each camp counted on a schedule, so a missing animal shows in days, not at the next muster.
A lost animal or a cow calving alone found on thermal and its position sent to your team.
Troughs and dams checked on the same flight.
A count that drops overnight is also a security alert.
How we do it
How it works on your ground.
- 01A station on the reserve or farmThe same station that flies anti-poaching patrols.
- 02Counts on a scheduleFlown on the nights and areas you choose, on the same routes every time.
- 03Logged on your mapCounts and sightings go onto the map your team already uses, including EarthRanger.
- 04Quiet in the skyA drone at height disturbs animals far less than a helicopter low over the bush.
Built by Pharos
Our own software, working for you.
The aircraft and station are DJI hardware. What makes them one service is software we wrote ourselves. Here is what it does for you on this kind of site.
Our EarthRanger link puts each flight, detection and incident on the map your rangers already work from, next to their patrols and collars. One picture of the reserve, not two.
Our media pipeline checks, sorts and processes every capture as it comes off the aircraft. Each report is built with the same method as the last one, so month on month the numbers compare.
Our evidence chain seals every clip and every flight log the moment it is captured, with the pilot, station, time and position attached. If anything were changed afterwards, it would show.
What you get
What lands with you.
- Counts per area, dated and repeatable
- Positions of sightings on your map
- Alerts for animals that need attention
- A record you can compare count to count
Questions
Wildlife and livestock counts, answered.
Can thermal tell species apart?
Often, by size, shape and how the animals move, together with the colour camera by day. For a formal census we agree the method with your ecologist first.
Does the drone disturb the animals?
Far less than a helicopter. It flies at height and is quiet from the ground.
Can counts go into EarthRanger?
Yes. Our EarthRanger link puts counts and sightings on the map your rangers already use.
Is this the same station as anti-poaching?
Yes. One station patrols, verifies and counts.
How often can you count?
As often as your management plan needs, because the station lives on the reserve: monthly, seasonally, or after an event like a drought or a fire.
Can you count animals in thick bush?
Thermal sees through darkness, not through leaves. Thick canopy still hides animals, which is why we count on repeat routes and agree the method with your ecologist.
Book a site assessment
See what a station covers on your ground.
Outline your property on a satellite map and answer four questions, or leave your details. It costs you nothing and you are not committing to anything.