Abstract
Abstract
Travelers and the public can now use drones. High-quality drone cameras provide spectacular aerial photos and videos. However, drones’ effects on wildlife behavior must be considered. The researcher conducted a study to assess the feasibility of using DJI Matrice 300 RTK equipped with thermal sensors as aerial survey platforms for tourist purposes in the Bukit Tigapuluh Landscape, specifically focusing on the Sumatran elephant. In order to evaluate the efficacy of drones in detecting the presence of wild elephants and monitoring their behavior intelligently and precisely as the main attraction of tourism, The researcher collected data on the optimal altitude, temperature, and duration of flight. The researcher measured optimal flight altitude, temperature, and duration. Elephants can be detected at above 70 meters above ground level (AGL) if the sound intensity is within their tolerance. Elephants identified had body temperatures of 28-30°C. The thermal infrared scans showed them clearly in the morning and evening, when the temperature was below 28°C. They were harder to spot during midday when temperatures approached 30°C. Drones enable rapid, precise, and frequent monitoring of narrow to wide areas with high-resolution spatial while providing presence data and recording species activity, and will provide new and interesting tourist experiences. Adhering to operational techniques for flying drones that do not disturb and change elephant behavior is critical to using this technology to provide a tourist experience of seeing wild elephants with minimal risk.