Estonian hunters deploy drones to keep African swine fever from farms
Estonian hunters are utilizing surveillance drones equipped with thermal imaging to monitor wild boar populations near domestic pig farms. This initiative aims to prevent the spread of African swine fever by identifying animal activity and improving biosecurity.
Why it matters
The use of drone technology in agricultural biosecurity represents a modern approach to managing zoonotic disease risks in the food supply chain.
0" class="share-svg-text" aria-label="Marked as liked. Number of likes is {{contentCtrl.likes}}" fill="#FFF" font-size="12px" text-anchor="middle" dominant-baseline="middle" x="49%" y="53%">{{contentCtrl.likes}} kopeeri link --> share Facebook X (Twitter) Messenger --> e-mail Hunters in Rapla County now have a drone at their disposal to help monitor for wild boar near domestic pig farms. July 2026. Source: Olev Kenk/ERR News Hunters in Estonia are using drones to detect wild boar near pig farms in a new effort to curb the spread of African swine fever (ASF) back to domestic herds.
One of five surveillance drones purchased by the Climate Ministry has been assigned to hunters in Rapla County, where veteran hunter Ergo Viil recently learned to operate the unmanned aircraft after more than 40 years in the field.
He said the drone is a valuable tool for locating wild boar and planning hunting efforts.
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