Late last year, UrgentSeas received an anonymous tip from a former Miami Aquarium employee about an animal tank kept away from public view. Advocacy groups investigated.

In November, they posted a short clip of what they found after flying a drone over the property. It was an old manatee living alone in a dilapidated private pool. Within a month, the video had been viewed millions of times and the outcry became so intense that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service moved Romeo the manatee and his companion Juliet to a sanctuary.

Over the past decade, drones have become an invaluable tool for activists and conservation groups. In 2013, the animal rights organization Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was launched. drone campaign Tracking illegal bowhunting in Massachusetts.

Since then, drones have been used to record factory farm pollution In the Midwest of the United States, there was an outbreak of sea lice in salmon pens in Iceland. Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon. Drones are popular because they are relatively cheap, easy to use, and can extend reach even in difficult or inaccessible terrain. It also provides a bird’s-eye view of the scale of problems such as oil spills and illegal logging.

When it comes to breeding marine mammals, an aerial view is extremely valuable and can reveal the cramped conditions and restricted lives of animals in aquariums.

In some cases, drones have captured the secret lives of hidden animals, such as Romeo the Miami manatee. “This is footage that people need to see to understand how cruel confinement really is,” said the drone pilot who shot the footage at the Miami Seaquarium, and who wishes to remain anonymous.

Another early adopter of drones is Sea Shepherd. Marine conservation groups have begun filming illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the high seas.As technology advances, drones have become quieter and stealthier, he says. Simon Ager, long-time Sea Shepherd volunteer. This is critical for infiltrating ships and catching crimes in progress, he added.

“In my experience, drones have been ineffective because you can never get close to a ship where illegal activity is taking place. They see us coming, and they see us over the horizon. They will turn and flare up, and you guys will have nothing to go after them,” says Agar.

Agel said off the coasts of Mexico and Ecuador, tuna fishermen are pulling up nets tangled with sharks and other unintended bycatch, or dumping miles of fishing line into the water, where more marine life is caught. I recorded how it looked like it was dying. Off the coast of the Galapagos Islands, he tracked a large flotilla of Chinese squid fishing vessels with a night-vision drone.That campaign was exposed. Environmental and human rights abuses are rampant on boardincluding slave labor and the dumping of unwanted catches.

Drones also allow activists to safely distance themselves from the dangerous situations they are filming. During an operation to save endangered porpoises in the Gulf of California, cartel-funded fishermen shot a Sea Shepherd drone out of the sky and threw petrol bombs at the ship.

“Conservation is a very dangerous profession, and more environmentalists are killed every year,” Ager said. “Drones are a great way to study something without putting yourself at risk and decide if it's worth the risk.”

The high seas are a near-lawless zone where drone rules and regulations are severely violated. The legal situation is different on land, where activists use drones to photograph zoos and aquariums. UrgentSeas pilots say they use the app to determine where they are allowed to fly their drones and do their best to follow the appropriate laws.

“Flying a drone is clearly something you shouldn't do,” she says. “You don't have to stand outside the facility and fly the drone. You might even hide in the bushes. You're watching the cars. It's kind of like a mission.”

Last November, the Miami Seaquarium filed for a non-disclosure order against Argent Seeds co-founder Phil Demers after drone footage of Romeo went viral. The move is part of a larger lawsuit the aquarium filed against animal activists in May 2023, alleging defamation, public nuisance and trespassing, many of which include flying drones and trespassing on property. It was from a recording.

The Miami Seaquarium did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the Guardian, but said in the complaint that Demers “repeatedly flew unmanned aircraft without authorization.” [Seaquarium’s] Accommodation is available during normal business hours. ”

As a relatively new technology, drones still exist in a legal gray area. “Drones, legal and privacy issues are new issues,” says Benjamin Christopher Caraway, an attorney with the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project in Colorado and Demers' attorney. There are several state torts and statutes regarding drones, but he has yet to see many cases heard in court.

Activists say drones are necessary for free speech and democracy, but opponents say they invade privacy and, in the case of aquariums and zoos, cause trouble to animals, customers and staff. .

Carraway hopes the drone law will address conflicting concerns in a nuanced way. “The whole concept of drones requires a significant update to the law and raises another question: the balance between legitimate interests and the public's right to know, privacy.”

A trial involving Demers and the Miami Seaquarium is scheduled for May, but it is doubtful the facility will still be open by then. Last year's death of killer whale Lolita and news reports about Romeo's living conditions have added to public pressure on an already struggling aquarium. On March 7, Miami-Dade County issued an eviction notice, ordering the aquarium operator to vacate the county-owned property by April 21.

“The Dolphin Company has repeatedly failed to meet its contractual obligations under the lease agreement,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levine Cava said in a statement. “The current situation at Miami Aquarium is unsustainable and unsafe due to its failure to maintain the facility in good condition and its failure to demonstrate that it can ensure the safety and welfare of the animals in its care.”

UrgentSeas receives 5-6 tips from whistleblowers each month. Most are former or current employees of zoos and aquariums around the world. According to Whale & Dolphin Conservation USA, currently 56 killer whales They are in captivity all over the world.

UrgentSeas plans to document every facility with a drone (though the group encourages supporters to fly the drones themselves). “It’s the drone that shows us everything,” says his anonymous UrgentSeas pilot. “But it comes with a lot of risks.”