【Animal Experiment】-Lion facial recognition technology launched in Africa

  Now, even the king of the jungle can hardly avoid the camera to take close-up shots of their faces. Recently, Kenyan lion guardians launched a Lion Identification Cooperation Network (LINC). The lion face database also established the world's first unique software for lion face recognition, which can be used to distinguish these big cats.

   With the help of LINC, conservation organizations and other wildlife researchers will be able to monitor the tracks of these beasts more conveniently. Previously, people had very limited knowledge about the activities of lions in Africa, and there were many difficulties in tracking activities: GPS trackers were not only expensive, and each tracker would run out of electricity after 3 years of use. You need to install a tracker for the lion. Give them a sedative.

   In addition, unlike cheetahs and tigers (the spots and stripes on these animals make it easier to distinguish them), adult lions lack recognizable fur patterns.

   In the next few months, about 1,000 lions will enter the LINC database; the more related photos, the stronger the software's ability to identify individual lions. By labeling each lion’s journey, conservationists can better understand where the lion finds mates, water, prey, etc., and can also understand the dynamic changes in the number of lions due to human expansion.

   Now, people no longer need to take useful photos at close range. Photos taken from 100 feet away can help, Stephanie Dolrenry said. Lions who like to take pictures and lions with lively characters will take a look at their photographers and then run away.