genesis engineArtificial intelligence (AI) tools trained to tell the difference between gray and red squirrels could be an “absolute game-changer”, conservationists say.
The system, called Squirrel Agent, has been trained on thousands of images of animals and can distinguish between animals with 97% accuracy, developers say.
It can then be used to automatically control squirrel access to feeders. Only red color is allowed for feeders that contain bait, and only gray color for feeders where bait is replaced with contraceptive paste.
“This is a true showcase of what can be done with AI,” said Emma McClenahan, co-founder of Genysys Engine, which developed the tool.
“We are performing tasks in real time for which there are not enough (human) volunteers.”
The squirrel agent is currently being tested at sites across the UK in collaboration with five wildlife charities.
Genysys Engine hopes to eventually see more widespread use, not just for squirrels, but also for other species that would benefit from advanced digital surveillance.
Ian Glendin of the Northern Red Squirrel, one of the conservation groups involved in the trial, told the BBC that technological support was urgently needed for the animals he was trying to protect.
“We’re at the bar at Last Chance Saloon, and the landlord just called last orders,” he said.
red crisis
Gray squirrels are the main culprit behind the dramatic decline in red squirrel numbers.
This is partly because there are so many squirrels, but also because, although squirrels have immunity, they can carry a virus that can be deadly to red squirrels. They arrived in Britain about 200 years ago.
“Red squirrels live in Scotland and Ireland, and also on some islands such as Anglesey and the Isle of Wight,” Mr Glendinning said.
“However, mainland England and Wales are in a dire situation and will become extinct if we cannot reverse this trend.”
genesis engineEfforts to save red squirrels are further complicated by the fact that, despite their name, not all red squirrels are red.
There are other indicators that can distinguish them from the majority of squirrels, such as their tails, ears, size, and weight, even if they are the same color.
While the detection process would be time-consuming for a human observer, Squirrel Agent leverages the power of AI to quickly analyze all these markers and determine which is which with very high accuracy.
It then automatically decides whether to give it additional food to increase its chances of survival or induce it on a contraceptive to reduce its chances of reproduction.
by the beard
According to Genysys Engine, the next step in the evolution of this technology is to go beyond just differentiating squirrel types to identifying individual animals.
According to Emma McClenahan, this is achieved by focusing on each animal’s unique whiskers.
“Beards are like human fingerprints,” she says.
She hopes that by distinguishing between the tip, base and length of each creature’s whiskers, the AI will allow wildlife experts to track and monitor individual members of a population.
“Over time, this data accumulates and allows scientists and researchers to trace family lines,” she says.
There are already other examples where conservationists can benefit from AI’s ability to process huge amounts of data very quickly.
For example, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) used this technology to analyze millions of photos of vast areas of Australia destroyed by bushfires to find where animals survived. .
This has also been picked up by enthusiasts, with a British man telling the BBC last year how he devised a device called the Furbinator 3000 to prevent foxes and badgers from polluting his garden in Surrey. told the news.
