The buzz of tiny rotors has replaced dog barks and bullwhips on this Israeli ranch, where drones are being used to herd and observe cattle.
The remote-controlled quadcopters hover near the cows, which move along in response while live video is relayed back to the farmers.
The technological system moves up to 1000 heads of cattle over vast expanses of land without human intervention, using a single drone.
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Herding cattle by Drone, an Israeli company promotes new technologies in farming
(Photo: Reuters)
"Using a drone, instead of cowboys and dogs, creates a much less stressful environment for the animals, and an animal that is less stressful is a lot healthier and more productive," said Noam Azran, CEO of BeeFree Agro, the firm developing the method.
This technology can revolutionize the lives of ranchers, significantly reducing operations costs.
4 View gallery
Herding cattle by Drone, an Israeli company promotes new technologies in farming
(Photo: Reuters)
The drones also offer more efficient control of large droves and pastures, Azran said, adding that there has been interest from the United Arab Emirates, which in September established formal relations with Israel.
4 View gallery
Herding cattle by Drone, an Israeli company promotes new technologies in farming
(Photo: Reuters)
BeeFree Agro representatives will go to the Gulf state this month "to see if our solution can work for camels," he said.