Wildlife criminals had better watch out! The same software that recognises you in a friend’s social media post is being adapted to tackle the illegal trade in chimpanzees.
The amber eyes in the image above belong to Manno, who was trafficked from Africa to Syria before being rescued.
Pictures of Manno are now being used to train the algorithm that could help save members of his endangered species from the same experience. It’s a first for chimpanzee conservation.
The algorithm will search through photo posts on social media looking for the faces of rescued apes.
If the technology recognises a trafficked animal, the owners of the accounts featuring the chimp can then be targeted by the authorities. Read more