CSAR - Cat search and rescue and some observations

[Former Member]

This is a true story.

Neighbors cat ran out of the house early yesterday morning. She looked for it all yesterday. No success. Cat was not chipped, no bell, solid black. All the neighbors know to look for it. Got all the neighbors permissions before overflying their homes.

Here are some of the questions I asked her

1. where she lived.
2. what time she last saw the cat
3. the color of the cat
4. if the cat was chipped
5. Had the cat eaten yesterday before going missing
6. What was the temperature last night
7. was the cat clawed or declawed
8. had the cat ever gotten out before, if so, where did he go
9. how old is the cat
10. Which way she thinks the cat would have gone

Based on what she told me, I started the CSAR mission in front of her house and did a parallel sweep search 500' in either direction. Altitude was 200' AGL and zoomed in with my M2Z.

Things that I became aware of during the mission:

1. Bring more than 1 battery. If unsuccessful on the first try, launch again.
2. Slow the search speed down to 1-2 mph. Otherwise that zoomed in image is unrecognizable.
3. Your flying blind with the gimbal pointed 90° so make sure you are higher than any obstacle.
4. Fly in tripod mode to enable all sensors just in case
5. Use prop guards
6. use as big a display as possible. at 200' even with full zoom, objects are tiny
7. Record the mission to SD card and livestream if possible
8. Use at least a 32gb SD card, or larger if you can stay airborne for longer.
9. FLIR would definitely help because a cat or child are small targets. For night time FLIR is a necessity.
10. For day time, a zoom is preferred
11. Have a bystander looking at the video as well.
12. Always have your pet chipped and tagged. A trackimo for your pet (or kid) wouldnt hurt either if its an outdoor pet.

These are just a few things I picked up. Im practicing for the DSAR meeting at the end of the month. This was a real situation.

Cat has not been located yet.

Pinging @RCdancer @FatherXmas

 

[BigAl07]

Good try. Animals can be tough because they don't reason like a missing person will.

Because of the size the cat could be just under any small object and out of view. If a cool day and a warm body FLIR is a def plus.

It was good for practice and definitely gives you a new persepctive as to why SAR with a Drone is not as easy and effective as it seems it would be.

 

[Former Member]

Good try. Animals can be tough because they don't reason like a missing person will.

Because of the size the cat could be just under any small object and out of view. If a cool day and a warm body FLIR is a def plus.

It was good for practice and definitely gives you a new persepctive as to why SAR with a Drone is not as easy and effective as it seems it would be.

Like finding a needle in a stack of needles.

 

[Former Member]

Good try. Animals can be tough because they don't reason like a missing person will.

Because of the size the cat could be just under any small object and out of view. If a cool day and a warm body FLIR is a def plus.

It was good for practice and definitely gives you a new persepctive as to why SAR with a Drone is not as easy and effective as it seems it would be.

Good points. I forgot to mention that not only did the cat have a harness on, but it also had a retractable leash attached to the harness. She was going to take it to the vet for neutering, and it just ran away. Im not making this stuff up!

Cats name is Tonka!

 

[BigAl07]

Like finding a needle in a stack of needles.

that's how it is with most searches unfortunately. FLIR is awesome if you're in the right area, at the right time, and conditions are favorable. It's very frustrating to be on a live search and turn up nothing....zero....nadda...zilch.... Almost as bad as turning up "something" less than favorable.

 

[Former Member]

I thought about reducing the periphery of the search area by any fences, thinking the cat could not hop a fence with the harness and leash attached.

 

[BigAl07]

Good points. I forgot to mention that not only did the cat have a harness on, but it also had a retractable leash attached to the harness. She was going to take it to the vet for neutering, and it just ran away. Im not making this stuff up!

Cats name is Tonka!

I was on an animal SAR last month (dog) in the EXACT same scenario. We looked for 3 days and she finally turned up 5 miles away across town. Leash and harness still in tact. Those items were a point of concern due to potential snagging and entanglement in the woods but she was found and "fixed" unharmed... mostly LOL

 

[Former Member]

She also told me that one time he got out and came back with a wet bottom. She was looking for him near a nearby stream...

 

[Former Member]

I was on an animal SAR last month (dog) in the EXACT same scenario. We looked for 3 days and she finally turned up 5 miles away across town. Leash and harness still in tact. Those items were a point of concern due to potential snagging and entanglement in the woods but she was found and "fixed" unharmed... mostly LOL

Thats exactly what the owner told me! She was worried that the cats leash would snag on something, but I said that was a good thing because then it was immobile and hopefully easier to find.

In the cats favor, it has its claws, and cats are predators, so if got really hungry, it might be able to kill something to stay alive.

 

[BigAl07]

There's a FB group dedicated to "Animal SAR with a Drone" but I can't remember the exact name of it. Might be a good opportunity to network and share ideas and processes.

 

[Former Member]

I'll take a look. Thanks for your comments.

Im gonna chip my dog, and make sure he wears his collar even in the house.

 

[Former Member]

To all you guys coming for the DSAR meeting, I would recommend you practice some fake search and rescue in your spare time. After trying to find that cat today, I have a new respect for anyone who participates in aerial search and rescue, or any type of SAR for that matter.

 

[BD0G]

Personally I wouldnt search for a cat. Hate em! LOL . Good on you though for searching for the neighbors cat. Cats will tend to be under vehicles. Cooler in day and warmth from engine block at night. Makes em tough targets to locate.

Both my dogs are chipped practically from birth. Well fenced yard , cameras. They are not going anywhere undetected.

Good luck with the continued search efforts.

 

[Former Member]

Personally I wouldnt search for a cat. Hate em! LOL . Good on you though for searching for the neighbors cat. Cats will tend to be under vehicles. Cooler in day and warmth from engine block at night. Makes em tough targets to locate.

Both my dogs are chipped practically from birth. Well fenced yard , cameras. They are not going anywhere undetected.

Good luck with the continued search efforts.

Man, thats a great point. Especially if its cold out, it might very well be under a car.

 

[Mossiback]

A cat will not lie out in the open unless it is in very familiar surroundings. It will be under a car or bush or anything larger than itself. You might have better luck finding the leash trailing outside the cover, although from 200' with zoom it is not likely. Ask what color the leash is and try to fixate on that color. Good luck.

 

[Former Member]

A cat will not lie out in the open unless it is in very familiar surroundings. It will be under a car or bush or anything larger than itself. You might have better luck finding the leash trailing outside the cover, although from 200' with zoom it is not likely. Ask what color the leash is and try to fixate on that color. Good luck.

Will do. I also suggested the owner put up signs all over the neighborhood.

 

[BigAl07]

A cat will not lie out in the open unless it is in very familiar surroundings. It will be under a car or bush or anything larger than itself. You might have better luck finding the leash trailing outside the cover, although from 200' with zoom it is not likely. Ask what color the leash is and try to fixate on that color. Good luck.

I've got access to some software that will search every "image" at the pixel level for a specific color. You'd have to have something with that exact color as a reference point but if that color is in the picture the software will find and indentify it. This is the best use of the software but it's good to know that an option like that is available in the Human SAR world.

 

[Former Member]

I've got access to some software that will search every "image" at the pixel level for a specific color. You'd have to have something with that exact color as a reference point but if that color is in the picture the software will find and indentify it. This is the best use of the software but it's good to know that an option like that is available in the Human SAR world.

Thats amazing technology. I asked her if she had a picture of her cat, but she only had one when it was a kitten.

Do you think that software could match a cats color to an old picture? Probably a stretch.

 

[BigAl07]

Thats amazing technology. I asked her if she had a picture of her cat, but she only had one when it was a kitten.

Do you think that software could match a cats color to an old picture? Probably a stretch.

Probably not because black is a common color especially in an urban or semi-urban environment. I mean it would pick up black but it would find black pixels in a LOT of pictures. The software is designed to process thousands of images and then give the Boots On The Ground areas to go walk back through and look for "evidence". If that makes sense.

 

[Former Member]

Probably not because black is a common color especially in an urban or semi-urban environment. I mean it would pick up black but it would find black pixels in a LOT of pictures. The software is designed to process thousands of images and then give the Boots On The Ground areas to go walk back through and look for "evidence". If that makes sense.

You sound like you know your stuff. What color would be the easiest for that software to pick up? I see some companies are making suits for skiers who ski the back bowls that are highly visible from quite a distance.