Unmanned aerial vehicles have transformed wildlife monitoring, enabling non-invasive population surveys and welfare assessments across remote habitats with minimal disturbance to the animals observed.
Traditional wildlife monitoring often required physical capture, darting, or boat approaches that caused acute stress and occasionally injury. Drone technology enables welfare assessment at population scale without the distress of physical contact. However, drones flown too close to nesting birds, marine mammals with pups, or startled ungulates can cause flushing, nest abandonment, or injury. Best-practice protocols now specify minimum altitudes, approach angles, and restricted zones to ensure monitoring benefits outweigh any disturbance costs.