The project aims to establish a global observation network

The project’s ultimate goal is to establish a global observation network with approximately six satellites.

This network would track wildlife movements and animal health worldwide, offering valuable insights into how animals respond to natural disasters.

“We’ve found that the goats’ behavior is quite good at predicting large volcanic eruptions,” Wikelski said, emphasizing the potential of this innovative approach.

Animal behavior can indicate impending natural disasters

The project has already shown promising results, with goats showing nervousness in the face of volcanic eruptions and refusing to move to higher pastures.

Likewise, dogs and other pets have exhibited behaviors that predict seven out of eight major earthquakes in Italy over the past 12 years.

These observations indicate that animals may have an innate ability to sense impending natural disasters.

Advanced tagging technology enables tracking of animals

The project, called the International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space (ICARUS), has been made possible by advances in tagging technology.

Small digital transmitters and mini GPS units now enable lightweight tags that can track most vertebrate species.

“We’re going from where we couldn’t really track most vertebrate species on the planet to turning it around,” said University of Michigan ecologist Scott Yanco.

The project also monitors wildlife health and migration patterns

Along with predicting natural disasters, the project also hopes to monitor wildlife health and learn about their migration patterns.

For example, electronic ear tags have been placed on wild boars to detect African swine fever.

“This is a game changer for wildlife disease monitoring,” says Kevin Morelle of the Max Planck Institute.

The technology is even being used to track creatures as small as ospreys, revealing their long-distance migrations.

ICARUS CubeSat to replace stopped cooperation with Russia

The ICARUS project was originally intended to collaborate with Russian scientists using a radio telescope on International space Station. However, the collaboration was interrupted due to geopolitical tensions.

As a replacement, the team has now designed a small satellite, called the ICARUS CubeSat, which will be launched next year.

“That should give us a huge amount of data about how animals behave,” the team said.