Volunteers Use Drones to Rescue Roe Deer Calves Before Mowing Season

(Moss Newspaper:) – It was incredibly fun when we found the first calf. Then there were three grown men who high-fived each other.

That’s what Dag Thu, Lars Arne Pettersen and Petter Kristian Saltnæs say. Now that the farmers are in the middle of the hay, they are dedicated calf rescuers.

Pettersen and Saltnæs sit on the outer edge of a field close to Rygge church. They are both sitting in camping chairs and looking down at a small screen in their hands. They are wearing orange vests with the words drone pilot on the back.

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Meaningful service

– The drone has an infrared camera, so now we sit and look for heat signals on the screen to find out where the deer calves are, says Pettersen as the drone flies back and forth a good distance above the ground.

At 04.00 the day starts for craftsman Thu, fireman Pettersen and semi-retired and drone pilot Saltnæs. They start the day early because it is easier to see the roe deer calves when the surroundings have not been warmed by the sun.

– If we see something lying in the grass, just stop the drone, zoom in and check carefully. If we still have doubts, we go out and check in the grass field, says Pettersen.

Petter Kristian Saltnæs tells with great enthusiasm the background to why they sit on the edges of the ground in Moss and Råde for the whole of June.

– First and foremost, this has developed into a national voluntary effort for animal welfare. Last year, according to unofficial figures, over 500 deer calves were saved because of this heat-seeking drone. Back then, there were only eight teams like us nationally. This year there are 25–30 teams, so we expect much higher numbers this year, he explains.

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The roe deer calves are usually born at the end of May and at the beginning of June. Their natural instinct is to lie still in the grass to avoid danger, while their mother is around the area grazing. She visits it for shorter periods to nurse, nurse and give the calf social contact, according to the report The Veterinary Institute.

But during this period, the farmers are also ready for the mowing. It is a great danger for a stifling calf, which is incredibly well hidden in the tall grass. Many roe deer calves die a brutal death in the encounter with the mower.

Has saved several calves

– In addition to saving the calves, it is also the case that it goes beyond the feed to the farmer if calf carcasses end up in the feed, adds Saltnæs.

He and the rest of the gang are volunteers who want to save as many calves as possible. In the marsh district, 33 grass farmers are registered, and 14 of them have reported that they want help from the drone team to find the calves before they calve.

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– We are well underway, and there will probably be work until the end of June. So far we have found five calves that we have rescued. What we then do is put on gloves, go out directly under the drone and start looking in the grass. If there is a calf lying there, we have previously looked for a place where we can carry it out. A safe place, where they cannot be bothered by anything, explains Saltnæs.

They then put out a red ploughshare where the discovery was made, so that the farmer can get out of the machine and make sure that it has not gone back.

– Often the farmer is also involved. The other day the whole family was there, the farmer’s grandchildren too. In addition to doing something useful, flying a drone is actually a bit of fun too. Especially when you find an animal, concludes Dag Thu, Lars Arne Pettersen and Petter Kristian Saltnæs.