When filming wild animals with a drone, how far away does the drone need to be?
There is a video of a cub trying to follow the mother bear up a steep snowbank and then rolling back down at first.
People are saying that it's a cute video but that the drone that filmed it got too close the bears.
There are guidelines for how close one can get to an animal to prevent harassment, what are the guidelines for drones?
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Seems there is a lot of research done. I found this article which cites a lot of interesting resources. I could not retrieve precise numbers. They published a code of best practice, but they say also that "It advocates the precautionary principle in lieu of sufficient evidence, encouraging researchers to recognise that wildlife responses are varied, can be hard to detect, and could have severe consequences.". Also, if I were to apply the precautionary principle, I would consider that animals have a better hearing than humans do, and are more aware of their surroundings.
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It will depend on your location and the animal.
The rules for how close to get to an animal aren't just to prevent bothering the animal but also to help ensure the safety of the people. An animal may charge if you get too close and feels threatened. In the case of bears and other predators, the animal has to be dispatched if it attacks a person. Preventing these situations is ideal for all parties involved.
As for the drone, it will depend on where you are. As mentioned in the comments, drones are prohibited in national parks and monuments. States will also have different rules. So those rules and regulations are a good start.
Beyond those considerations, I would say trying to not disturb animals with the drone would be a good guideline. If the animal flees from the drone, don't chase it. Be respectful and minimize your impact. Individual animals are going to react differently so just maintain your distance and try to avoid disturbing them too much.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/20962. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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