We invite you to our home at TIGERS Preserve in beautiful Myrtle Beach, SC. Only six weeks until our tours begin! "Swim, Swing, Soar with our Tigers, Apes, Eagles & More!"
It's not too early to make your family's 2016 reservations!
Learn how you can meet these animal ambassadors, plus 100 more, at the world's most interactive wildlife experience:
www.myrtlebeachsafari.com
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Rare Species Fund
The Rare Species Fund
compliments the educational messages and field research of T.I.G.E.R.S.
To help in this life-changing cause, please visit
Considered to be "the greatest hands-on animal experience in the world", the Preserve transports you out of coastal South Carolina and straight to the savannas of Africa and the jungles of South America!
The VIP Wild Encounter Tour always contains a wide variety of exotic animal ambassadors that you will get to see and interact with. Cubs of various sizes, young apes, ligers and a whole assortment of others will be on display while visiting our Preserve located only minutes from Myrtle Beach.
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Save
$50 |
If you have your photo taken at Preservation Stations
during the 2016 season you will receive a $50 discount on your T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve tour! Preservation Station is located at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach.
| | Offer Expires: 10/10/2016 |
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Creativity is at the heart of every dream.
Go behind-the-scenes and learn how Rob Johnson and the Rare Species Fund use the newest camera and drone technology for the benefit of international conservation!
In order to raise awareness of the ties between human life and the natural world, the staff of T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve, Myrtle Beach Safari, and the Rare Species Fund must consistently create new and awe-inspiring ways to express their work. Robert Johnson was recently interviewed by a technology industry giant for his use of cameras and drone technology in the conservation field. Alongside Robert, organizations such as Red Bull and film crews from Good Morning America and the newest Star Trek film were also interviewed for their use of forward-thinking technology.
The interview below was conducted by DJI, a privately owned and operated company with a global workforce of over 3,000 focused on technology innovation to support creative, commercial, and nonprofit applications. DJI Technology is seen in filmmaking, agriculture, conservation, search and rescue, energy infrastructure and more.
How are drones and aerial footage helping you raise awareness about the work of the Rare Species Fund?
A large portion of conserving wildlife and the environment is to change the minds and global viewpoint of the public. The Rare Species Fund (RSF) works diligently to support grass roots wildlife conservation efforts around the world, but educating the public is key to the success of those projects. We find many people that are eager to help save the world, but are not sure how to go about it. Explaining how an individual can help with conservation often also includes exploring what practices that can be cut out of their normal daily life, practices that are not sustainable or environmentally friendly.
The RSF is quite successful in sharing the story of conservation through social media and through broadcast media outlets. The first step in helping save wildlife and the environment is getting people to care. Very much like a good movie, the key to success is good story telling. The DJI Phantoms (drones) have become an integral tool in helping the Rare Species Fund explain the need for conservation. Unique perspectives, even just a few, can help turn an ordinary video into something that is much more cinematic and much more powerful. The videos we create with the help of DJI products reach literally tens of millions of people and inspire them to care about, and become proactive in, wildlife conservation.
You have started exploring using drones as part of conservation efforts. How do you see drones being used to directly improve your work?
The Rare Species Fund conducts most of its international conservation work in conjunction with community driven conservation projects that are working in-country to protect and conserve their natural resources. Having dealt with conservation projects for more than 30 years, RSF understands that just sending money overseas and hoping it goes where it should is a very complicated thing. The majority of our support for these grass roots projects come in the form of hand delivering needed equipment directly into the field, to the rangers and scientists that need it. This assures the most conservation benefit from every dollar we spend.
In a recent visit to the mountainous region of western Uganda, along the border of the Congo, the RSF supplied scientific materials to an amazing organization called Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), which monitors the health of some of the world's last remaining mountain gorillas. CTPH co-founder, Stephen Rubanga, also introduced me to a team of Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officials, to whom we hand delivered camping and survival gear. This equipment will assist the UWA rangers in their task of monitoring and protecting the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and its wildlife inhabitants, most notably, the mountain gorillas. In discussing conservation tactics with the government officials, we explored the possibility ofusing drones to more easily and effectively monitor the national park for poaching and other illegal activities. This would be very helpful in remote parts of the park that are extremely difficult to access. Having been there twice, I will tell you that the name "Impenetrable Forest" is very appropriate. It includes some of the densest vegetation in the world. When you compound that with steep mountain slopes, the idea of being able to remotely monitor portions of the park with a drone becomes an evermore attractive option. How have you personally used the DJI Phantom (drone) for your work?
Having a drone on hand while in Uganda, I was able to demonstrate firsthand to UWA officials how monitoring would work via drone. Flying above the tree line, we were able to tilt the camera and rotate the drone to thoroughly explore the forest environment. In 30 seconds we were able to put the drone fifty feet above the peak of a nearby mountain, a location that would have required one hour of strenuous hiking to reach. Being able to see on a wireless screen what the drone was seeing was a remarkable experience for the rangers. It was also very exciting for me. To show the rangers a different perspective of the forest, in which they spend much of their life, was a real honor.
After landing the drone back on the steps of the UWA park headquarters, I showed them how the footage could be reviewed after the fact to better search for signs of poaching. Flying a drone in and around a primeval forest requires special attention and techniques. The pilot is focused on successfully flying his predetermined route and positioning the camera for optimum viewing. It is extremely helpful to analyze the captured footage for any minor details missed during the flight.
In a real world situation, poachers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their approach. Using current technology to combat these illegal activities is really the way forward. The use of drones in situations such as this shows real promise as a  n effective tool. The Rare Species Fund has communicated with DJI about how we can best employ this technology to bolster wildlife conservation. We are very excited about the prospects.
Learn more about anti-poaching and conservation efforts for chimpanzees, lynx, elephants, tigers, ligers, orangutans, gibbons, apes and more through the Rare Species Fund. To see these amazing species up close and personal, visit www.myrtlebeachsafari.com/signup to get started on your own interactive tour!
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Book your reservation NOW to secure your spot on a 2016 Myrtle Beach Safari!  T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve and T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Stations were created as a wildlife education organization dedicated to promoting global conservation. With informative, educational and entertaining interactive programs, Dr. Bhagavan Antle has created a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Dr. Antle, Director of T.I.G.E.R.S., works closely with international wildlife conservation projects in North America, South America, Africa and Southeast Asia.
To make reservations over the phone, please call 843.855.2699 or click here.
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