Doug to the Rescue!!
By Evan Wang
If you want to know how a typical drone pilot could help deal with climate change, look no further on Douglas Thron. He is a drone pilot who saves animals by tracking them down during natural disasters, such as the wildfires in California. There, Thron saved hundreds of animals from starvation, thirst, and rubble.
Ever since he moved to Arcata, California, from Texas to study photojournalism at Humboldt State University, Thron has known the planet is in big trouble. He first started being an activist and saving redwood trees. Thron later became a cinematographer and focused on helping with climate change., “Climate change is not just a problem for the future. It is impacting us every day, everywhere.” –Vandana Shiva, environmental activist
Thron describes how rescuing animals makes him feel so happy, "I can't even begin to describe how wonderful that feeling is when you can bring that little animal back," said Thron. "Of course, that would be the most valuable thing that you could get back."
Thron went to the Bahamas in 2019 to help with the disastrous Hurricane Laura. By then, he had been rescuing animals around the world for a year and a half. He uses his drone with an infrared camera, a spotlight, and a high-intensity zoom lens to spot animals in need of help and report them to local animal rescuers.
Doug’s drone can fly hundreds of feet away from the animal and seeing them perfectly, “You can count whiskers on a cat from hundreds of feet away and not disturb it,” said Thron.
In December, Thron left the Bahamas and flew to Australia to help combat the wildfires. Thron talks about his drones being a helpful asset during the Australian wildfires. "The success rate of rescuing an animal is a complete game-changer, said Thron. "It still blows me away every time we do it. They are a quick way to deploy new technology to save animals, and wild animals need all the savings they can get. Of course, people's pets do as well."
Shortly after, Thron took a plane and took off to Sydney, Australia. One of his first stops was Kangaroo Island in the southern parts, where the wildfires wiped out nearly half its population of 50,000 koalas. “You couldn’t walk 10 meters without coming across a dead koala or wallaby,” says Evan Quartermain, who worked with Thron on Kangaroo Island. For weeks Thron and wildlife volunteers searched for surviving animals on foot using drones.
After his work in Australia, Thron flew to Louisiana, where Hurricane Laura struck up to 70 miles per hour, leaving 100,000 residents without electricity.
After Hurricane Laura, Thron traveled to Oregon to help with the wildfires burning down whole neighborhoods. Six of the largest fires ever recorded in California started in 2020. The August Complex Fire, sparked by lightning last month and fueled by the most recent round of extreme heat, took the top spot Thursday as the state's largest fire in history.
Ever since he moved to Arcata, California, from Texas to study photojournalism at Humboldt State University, Thron has known the planet is in big trouble. He first started being an activist and saving redwood trees. Thron later became a cinematographer and focused on helping with climate change., “Climate change is not just a problem for the future. It is impacting us every day, everywhere.” –Vandana Shiva, environmental activist
Thron describes how rescuing animals makes him feel so happy, "I can't even begin to describe how wonderful that feeling is when you can bring that little animal back," said Thron. "Of course, that would be the most valuable thing that you could get back."
Thron went to the Bahamas in 2019 to help with the disastrous Hurricane Laura. By then, he had been rescuing animals around the world for a year and a half. He uses his drone with an infrared camera, a spotlight, and a high-intensity zoom lens to spot animals in need of help and report them to local animal rescuers.
Doug’s drone can fly hundreds of feet away from the animal and seeing them perfectly, “You can count whiskers on a cat from hundreds of feet away and not disturb it,” said Thron.
In December, Thron left the Bahamas and flew to Australia to help combat the wildfires. Thron talks about his drones being a helpful asset during the Australian wildfires. "The success rate of rescuing an animal is a complete game-changer, said Thron. "It still blows me away every time we do it. They are a quick way to deploy new technology to save animals, and wild animals need all the savings they can get. Of course, people's pets do as well."
Shortly after, Thron took a plane and took off to Sydney, Australia. One of his first stops was Kangaroo Island in the southern parts, where the wildfires wiped out nearly half its population of 50,000 koalas. “You couldn’t walk 10 meters without coming across a dead koala or wallaby,” says Evan Quartermain, who worked with Thron on Kangaroo Island. For weeks Thron and wildlife volunteers searched for surviving animals on foot using drones.
After his work in Australia, Thron flew to Louisiana, where Hurricane Laura struck up to 70 miles per hour, leaving 100,000 residents without electricity.
After Hurricane Laura, Thron traveled to Oregon to help with the wildfires burning down whole neighborhoods. Six of the largest fires ever recorded in California started in 2020. The August Complex Fire, sparked by lightning last month and fueled by the most recent round of extreme heat, took the top spot Thursday as the state's largest fire in history.
Evan Wang is a Session 1 participant of the First to the Frontpage Summer of 2021 program.