Tibetan antelope are hard to survey due to their sensitive nature and high-altitude habitats, a zoologist has said
Chinese researchers have used a robotic dog in disguise to take a closer look at the life of the rare Tibetan antelope, Xinhua has reported.
The machine undertook a successful trial run in late July in the Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve, located at an altitude of more than 4,600 meters in China’s Tibet, the agency said on Tuesday.
The newcomer – which was designed to resemble the skeletal structure of the Tibetan antelope and was covered with artificial fur based on samples taken from the animals – was quickly accepted into the herd.
The robot was only able to film the antelope grazing during the three-day experiment, although scientists hope it will eventually capture more dramatic footage, including of animals giving birth.
“The ultimate goal is to ensure the safe migration of Tibetan antelopes, with minimal human interference,” Lian Xinming, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, told Xinhua.
The decision to use the machine was made because Tibetan antelope are hard to study due to living in cold and oxygen-poor conditions where humans cannot remain for long. The animals are also very sensitive, with a close encounter with people carrying the risk of stress and even miscarriage in pregnant females. At the same time, they serve as one of the important ecological indicators in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the scientists explained.
The first robotic Tibetan antelope has been deployed in the heart of Hoh Xil, northwest China’s Qinghai Province. The homegrown robot has successfully blended into the herd, overcoming the limitations of human observation with more precise and reliable footage and data to better… pic.twitter.com/TzDU2hhMKS
According to the report, the researchers got the idea of creating a robotic Tibetan antelope after watching a group of robots performing a dance at the televised Spring Festival Gala in February.
The producers of the quadruped bot used in the experiment said that their hardware is especially “designed to perform in hazardous, complex environments, including extremely harsh terrains.” The machine covered around 2km across arduous terrain during the trial, overcoming various obstacles, Xinhua said.
Tibetan antelope were an endangered species as they had been hunted by poachers for their extremely soft, light, and warm underfur. However, conservation efforts by the Chinese authorities have seen their number grow from some 70,000 in the 1990s to nearly 300,000, according to government data.
