Aerocamaras Planned to Use Drones to Rescue Abandoned Dogs on Spanish Island
For the past month, the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma has been erupting, forcing 7,000 people to be evacuated. Scorching lava flows toward the sea, destroying everything in its path. The eruption, which began on September 19 on the Cumbre Vieja ridge (one of the most active volcanic regions of the archipelago), has destroyed more than 2,000 properties and wiped out banana plantations.
Unfortunately, many pets were left trapped in walled-in houses now covered in ash, with no access to food or water. We know about these animals because drones were used to monitor the eruption, sometimes providing video several times a day of the situation on the island.
In areas too dangerous for humans to enter, drones were used to drop food and water to some of these animals, but this could only sustain them for a very short time. Recently, drone maker Aerocamaras received permission to attempt a rescue using a large drone equipped with a net. Everyone hoped that a group of starving pets could be airlifted to safety.
The following video, shot by drone more than a week ago, shows dogs on La Palma.
This footage offers a broader view of the eruption, with some drone shots showing alarmingly close views of the molten lava and the town of Todoque (or what remains of it).
Drone companies are working hard to deliver water and food to abandoned animals. TecnoFly used a DJI Matrice 600 with a hook system to carry buckets of food and water to very grateful dogs.
Drones are the best option in this situation, since the dogs are completely cut off from the lava, but helicopters cannot fly in the area due to the risk of volcanic gas and ash. In Spain, transporting animals by drone is illegal, so Aerocamaras needed special permits even to try. The good news is that these permits were granted. The company had already tested the drone and net system at a launch site.
Primarily, Aerocamaras intended to deliver food to the dogs by drone, as well as survey the area with a camera and thermal imager. In essence, unmanned aerial vehicles are the only viable option for rescuing the animals.
The drone they were to use is the DJI Agras T20, designed for spraying crops. It is large: maximum takeoff weight is 47.5 kg, and payload is 23 kg. For the rescue, the drone planned to carry a net. The idea was that if the net could be lowered to the ground while the drone hovered above it, and one of the dogs could be persuaded to walk through it, the drone could immediately lift upward, closing the net around the dog and moving the animal to safety.
The closest distance Aerocamaras could approach with the drones is 450 m (lava flows between the dogs and safety). The drone would have about four minutes of hover time, during which the team planned to lure one dog into the net somehow. The fact that the dogs are already familiar with drones and associate them with food was expected to help, but the device cannot lift two animals at once.
That is why the goal was to interest them enough to rescue them one at a time. If this did not work, perhaps at least the dogs could be given extra food and some shelter. Although many argued, judging by the current situation, that if the dogs were not rescued within the next few days, they were unlikely to survive.
The rescue is being coordinated by the Spanish animal association Leales.org, which is also doing everything possible to save cats and other animals. Aerocamaras offers its services on a volunteer basis, but anyone can help cover veterinary costs for rescuing some animals from La Palma through the association's page on GoFundMe.
On October 21, a video appeared online suggesting that the drone deployment would be in vain. The footage shows a banner placed in the water tank where the dogs were last seen, reading: "Hang on, La Palma! The dogs are fine." The video also featured photos of some of the dogs, and the banner was signed "A-Team."
“We watched the video and confirmed that it is genuine, as are the tracks we found yesterday. The main thing is that the dogs get out one way or another. We realized something strange was happening because we checked every place they could have been, but found nothing. All we want to do now is see the dogs and make sure they are okay”
A-Team members may have chosen anonymity to avoid any possible punishment for risking entry into the restricted zone to rescue the dogs. A local media source reported that the animals are fine. According to it, it is currently difficult to explain exactly what happened, since "entering the exclusion zone was illegal."
The volcanic eruptions continue. A few days ago, another roughly 500 people were evacuated from their homes. Spain has officially classified La Palma as a disaster zone to begin the process of providing financial support to the island and its 85,000 residents, which is needed after the first eruption since 1971.
Aerocamaras is a company with a long history of training professionals in emergency drone response and rescue services. Its students include drone units of municipal fire services, the State Security Forces and Corps, and civil protection personnel. In addition, the company has the relevant equipment and professionals to carry out a variety of tasks.
