Australian scientists thought they had developed an innovative new tracking device that would help them track magpies, but these cunning birds had other ideas.
In their complex experiment, a tribe of sentient magpies equipped with sophisticated harnesses with GPS trackers were set free to see how these devices would perform in nature. Much care has been taken to ensure that it is durable, well-fitted, tamper-proof and tested before deployment.
The open area also allowed local magpies to unfasten their harness and locator with a magnet. We trained a group of local magpies to get to an outdoor shore power station that could wirelessly charge the tracker’s battery, download data, or release the tracker and tether with a magnet.
The new tracker design is innovative, allowing the magnet to release the harness.