So far we’ve seen drones used to do things like surveillance and deliver packages, but it seems that over in Spain, drones are now being considered to be used in a rescue operation to ferry several dogs trapped near a volcano on the island of La Palma over in Spain.
According to the company, Aerocamaras, that operates the drones, they have received permission to try and use their drones to attempt the rescue. How this will be done, at least according to the current plans, is to drop a net on each of the dogs and then fly them out of the danger zone. The drone used is a cargo drone that is said to be capable of carrying up to 23kg per flight.
ℹ️INFO IMPORTANTEℹ️ Nuestros pilotos se encuentran realizando pruebas junto a los equipos de emergencias en este momento.
Nuestra #PRIORIDAD y objetivo es rescatar a los perros. Debido a la complejidad de la operación, necesitamos calma y concentración.
— Aerocamaras Especialistas en Drones (@aerocamaras) October 19, 2021
The company’s CEO Jaime Pereira told Reuters, “It’s the first time an animal is being rescued with a drone. If that’s the last option that the dogs have? Then we’re going after them.” It’s going to be a tricky and risky operation because not only will the drone operators have to try and trap the dogs in the net in the first place, but they’ll have to carry them 450 meters over lava in order to get them to safety.
There is also the issue with time, where they have about eight minutes to complete the mission otherwise there won’t be enough battery to make the round trip safely. Drones have already been used to help bring food and water to the dogs and other animals on the island.