Denmark's first national park: Warm-seeking drone monitors wildlife activity

A castrated bull is usually easy to spot, weighing around half a ton and not so easy to miss.

However, it can be a bit like a needle in a haystack to find 40 of them on an area the size of Skagen, much of which is covered by forest.

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> One must learn to fly beyond the minefields

> Line Ochelka, biologist

Therefore, Line Ochelka, a biologist at the Nature Agency, stands this morning with a joystick for a DJI Mavic 3 drone with thermal camera.

- They have the same color as their surroundings, so it can be a bit difficult to see with a regular camera.

- There is a big advantage to the thermal camera, especially in the morning before the sun warms everything up, she explains.

* The natural national park Fussingø is a total of 833 hectares. An area slightly larger than Skagen consisting of lakes, forest, fields, and meadows (Photo: © Peter Langkilde, DR)

* The thermal drone takes off and lands from a foldable 'drone pad'. (Photo: © Tina Vestergaard Andersen, DR)

* The drone flies over the animals at a respectful distance. (Photo: © Peter Langkilde, DR)

* Muh. The 40 bulls are of the Galloway breed and weigh each around 400-500 pounds. (Photo: © Peter Langkilde - DR, (C) DR News)

1 / 4 The natural national park Fussingø is a total of 833 hectares. An area slightly larger than Skagen consisting of lakes, forest, fields, and meadows (Photo: © Peter Langkilde, DR)

1 / 4 The thermal drone takes off and lands from a foldable 'drone pad'. (Photo: © Tina Vestergaard Andersen, DR)

2 / 4 The drone flies over the animals at a respectful distance. (Photo: © Peter Langkilde, DR)

3 / 4 Muh. The 40 bulls are of the Galloway breed and weigh each around 400-500 pounds. (Photo: © Peter Langkilde - DR, (C) DR News)

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On a meadow in Fussingø, a little west of Randers, she shows how the animal caretakers will monitor the 40 recently introduced bulls to ensure the welfare of the animals in what will become Denmark's first natural national park.

It is Line Ochelka who is responsible for training the animal caretakers in the Nature Agency's various departments in using drones.

- One must learn to fly beyond the minefields.

- They give off so much heat that one can easily be tricked when flying over with the drone.

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New tools for new times with more nature

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In the next five years, a total of 21 natural national parks, including the one in Fussingø, are expected to open across Denmark.

All are owned by the Nature Agency and share the common feature that horses, cattle, deer, and elk will graze year-round behind a large continuous fence.

In a way, they are small versions of national parks in the United States or Africa.

Therefore, Line Ochelka also flies high in the air with the drone, so the sound does not disturb the semi-wild animals.

- It can sound like a swarm of bees, and they can become frightened. With the drone, we can see how they really are. Are they stressed? Are they running around, or are they very still and calm?

In Fussingø, the bulls share the area with deer, and as in the 20 other parks, they will initially not be fed, but will have to live off what they can graze themselves.

A deer appeared between the trees when Line Ochelka was walking through the forest to check on the bulls in the meadow. Here, she uses a telescope, which also has a thermal telescope sight to better find the animal behind the tree trunks. (Photo: © Tina Vestergaard Andersen, DR)

And it places high demands on the animal caretakers' ability to ensure that the animals do not starve, explains Uffe Strandby, who is the acting forester in the Nature Agency Jutland, where Fussingø is one of the areas of responsibility.

- We have some very competent animal caretakers who know the animals well and will conduct regular inspections of the herds at least five times a week, where they will check hooves, teeth, and behavior.

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> In case of critical periods with drought or frost with massive snowfall,

> we have the possibility to intervene with supplementary feed.

> Uffe Strandby, acting forester Nature Agency Jutland

Hooves is a term for the thickness of an animal's fat layer.

It is evaluated on a scale from one to five, with five being the highest.

And it cannot be evaluated based on images from a drone.

- Right now, I can see on the screen that there is peace and idyll, says Line Ochelka.

- But we will certainly have to get closer.

Therefore, she will also make a trip back in the four-wheel drive vehicle, through the forest and out to the bulls on the meadow, to check the animals' welfare by personal observation.

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Concern for animal welfare

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In addition to the frequent inspections of the animals, the Nature Agency has decided that there will be one permanent inspection from a veterinarian in all the upcoming natural national parks once a month.

Since it became known in the spring of 2021 that a herd of cattle in the Nature Agency's Mols Bjerge in the winter sulted, there has been increased concern for animal welfare in the Nature Agency, especially and more generally for the welfare of animals in other nature management projects, where animals graze year-round in the wild.

Read also: Animal welfare has come under scrutiny: Increased concern among citizens after scandal in nature management ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/dyrevelfaerd-er-kommet-under-lup-oeget-bekymring-blandt-borgere-efter-vanroegtssag-i )

In the spring, the Nature Agency and two employees were convicted of mistreatment of cattle in Mols Bjerge.

Cattle and wild deer will live in Fussingø Natural National Park, behind a newly built fence. This has given rise to some debate, as locals are concerned about both their own accessibility and the animals' freedom of movement. The park is still open to all, but only if they are aware of sharing the park with the free-roaming wildlife. (Photo: © Tina Vestergaard Andersen, DR)

The board acknowledged responsibility without going to court and paid a fine of 800,000 kroner as punishment.

The two employees were sentenced to conditional imprisonment for three months ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/dom-i-sag-om-vanroegtede-kvaeg-paa-mols-ansatte-i-naturstyrelsen-doemt-skyldige-og ). One received the sentence, the other has appealed.

But the population has no reason to worry about mistreatment, when summer turns into a wet winter, assures forester Uffe Strandby.

- The area here is enormous, and there is plenty of food to be found, he says.

Adequate food is easy to observe this morning, as Line Ochelka approaches the "bulls," as she calls them.

She admits that the huld score is "very high" at the moment.

The bulls are currently at a huld score of 4-5. This is the highest score on the scale of 1-5 used to evaluate the animals' fat layer. (Photo: © Peter Langkilde - DR, (C) DR News)

- In the summer, it's all about taking as much as possible. And in the winter, when there is not as much to eat, they will lose the extra fat layer.

And it is precisely in the winter and early spring that it becomes important to be vigilant, says Uffe Strandby and explains the emergency plan:

If the bulls lose too much, they will be removed from the area.

- But if critical periods with drought or frost with massive snowfall occur, we have the possibility to intervene with supplementary feed.

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