Fright or Flight? Behavioural Responses of Kangaroos to Drone-Based Monitoring

Elizabeth Brunton; Jessica Bolin; Javier X Leon; Scott Burnett

doi:10.3390/drones3020041

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Fright or Flight? Behavioural Responses of Kangaroos to Drone-Based Monitoring

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Fright or Flight? Behavioural Responses of Kangaroos to Drone-Based Monitoring

Elizabeth Brunton, Jessica Bolin, Javier X Leon and Scott Burnett

Drones, Vol.3(2), 41

2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/drones3020041

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Abstract

vigilance

behavioural response

anthropogenic disturbance

UAV

UAS

eastern grey kangaroo

wildlife survey

Drones are often considered an unobtrusive method of monitoring terrestrial wildlife; however research into whether drones disturb wildlife is in its early stages. This research investigated the potential impacts of drone monitoring on a large terrestrial mammal, the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), in urban and peri-urban environments. We assessed the response of kangaroos to drone monitoring by analysing kangaroo behaviour prior to and during drone deployments using a linear modelling approach. We also explored factors that influenced kangaroo responses including drone altitude, site characteristics and kangaroo population dynamics and demographics. We showed that drones elicit a vigilance response, but that kangaroos rarely fled from the drone. However, kangaroos were most likely to flee from a drone flown at an altitude of 30 m. This study suggests that drone altitude is a key consideration for minimising disturbance of large terrestrial mammals and that drone flights at an altitude of 60-100 m above ground level will minimise behavioural impacts. It also highlights the need for more research to assess the level of intrusion and other impacts that drone surveys have on the behaviour of wildlife and the accuracy of the data produced.

Details

Title: Fright or Flight? Behavioural Responses of Kangaroos to Drone-Based Monitoring
Authors: Elizabeth Brunton (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - School of Science & Engineering
Jessica Bolin (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - School of Science & Engineering
Javier X Leon (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - School of Science & Engineering
Scott Burnett (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - School of Science & Engineering
Publication details: Drones, Vol.3(2), 41; 11
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2019
DOI: 10.3390/drones3020041
ISSN: 2504-446X
Copyright note: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99451471502621
Output Type: Journal article

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