Hong Kong scientists team up with Ocean Park to save rare horseshoe crabs using drones, AI

Theme park’s conservation foundation marks International Horseshoe Crab Day with trial project to regularly monitor animals’ natural habitats

Reading Time:3 minutes

The International Union of Conservation Nature has declared tri-spine horseshoe crabs to be an endangered species and placed them on the organisation’s red list. Photo: Eugene Lee

Published: 10:30am, 20 Jun 2024Updated: 5:01pm, 20 Jun 2024

Hong Kong researchers are turning to drones and artificial intelligence (AI) software technology to protect the local population of endangered horseshoe crabs as part of a trial project from Ocean Park.

The Ocean Park Conservation Foundation announced the news on Thursday, which is International Horseshoe Crab Day, saying on-site testing had started earlier this month at Ha Pak Nai in the northwestern New Territories.

“Over the years, Ocean Park has been using its technology to enrich wildlife preservation for endangered species. We believe that by using AI technology, we can effectively and efficiently collect data on the number of local horseshoe crabs,” foundation director Howard Chuk Hau-chung said.

Professor Cheung Siu-gin of City University’s chemistry department said: “Horseshoe crabs are living fossils and have great evolutionary significance.”

Horseshoe crabs have a component in their blood that can be used to test for toxic substances and bacteria in chemicals used for vaccines, and played a vital role in healthcare, he said.

The International Union of Conservation Nature (IUCN) has declared tri-spine horseshoe crabs to be an endangered species and placed them on the organisation’s red list.