The purpose of this paper is to present the results of practical tests of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aggregated with a thermal imaging camera for detecting animals in forested areas during the vegetation season (specifically in summer). This study focused on estimating the likelihood of detecting Eurasian elk, red deer, European roe deer and Eurasian wild boar.
The UAV’s flight altitude was 80 m above ground level, providing a ground sampling distance of 7 cm. A total of 21 flights were completed, covering a surveyed section approximately 110 km long. The width of the inventoried transect was approximately 45 m. Based on the total length of the route, the surveyed area was approximately 495 hectares, representing around 7% of the forested area where the research was conducted.
In conclusion, the findings of this study reveal that summer is a less favourable season for conducting wildlife inventory flights. This is evidenced by the fact that approximately 60% of all thermal signatures detected could not be attributed to specific species. The dense tree foliage during this season likely contributed to this challenge. It is also important to highlight that the forest habitats in the study area are highly fertile, featuring not only a canopy of trees but also thick undergrowth and second-growth forests, which can suppress the heat radiation emitted by animals.
Using thermal imaging camera aggregated with UAVs is not an officially recognised method for estimating game population in Poland. However, the research presented in this paper evaluates the potential of this technology for estimating the numbers of large game species.
