Up Time Magazine- April/May 2008 - (Page 30) infrared upload Welcome to the Jungle Taking Infrared Thermography Off-Road by Steve Edwards U sually thermal imagers grace the realms of heavy industry, manufacturing and the like. So one would not expect to find one bouncing about on the back of an open Land Rover on the prowl for lions. Having seen the obvious advantage of IR thermography in industry, we thought what better way to track down elusive night time predators. So, we thought it would be a very interesting exercise to go to the Phinda (pronounced Pinda) game reserve in northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Phinda is a Zulu word meaning “the return”. In one of the biggest reintroductions of game in Africa, in the 1990’s, Phinda was restocked with lion, rhino, buffalo, elephant, leopard, giraffe and other big game. Figure 1 - Because of the extreme heat during the day, good IR images could not be taken. But in the late evening or early morning, IR thermography helped tremendously in identifying and tracking animals. Our Fluke Ti30 and Ti20 imagers made their debut in Phinda, where it didn’t take long to amass a keen following, especially amongst the rangers and trackers. It seems that even a ranger who has spent most of his life in the bush can benefit greatly by adding thermal imaging to his toolbox of tracking techniques. It seemed that the best time for thermal game spotting was during late evening or early morning game drives. This provided the maximum contrast between the warm blooded animals and the cold land surface. As expected, due to the high temperatures during the day, the animals faded into their surroundings. The heat sensitivity of the camera was impressively demonstration by its ability to pick up the moon reflecting off a waterhole. With animal life at the watering hole, this image was even more spectacular. Towards the end of our final night game drive we picked up the heat signature of a large male lion with a female lying down in the thick grass (Figure 1). Something no other vehicles nor trackers had seen while driving past. Another precious moment was the look on the trackers face when you, a city dweller, can tell him “stop there is a Figure 2 – Giraffe spotted in Phinda game reserve in northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. april/may 2008 30
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