How drones are being used to protect the Amazon's dolphins

Drone footage is building up the missing data on dolphin populations that is crucial to ensuring their protection and long-term survival

The drone is hovering above the Amazon river, but its battery is running low. Andri(C) Coelho, the chief pilot, steers it back to safety with skills perfected by playing video games. Long hours practising on Need for Speed have become a surprising asset in the effort to conserve the dolphins that live in the river.

Marcelo Oliveira, a conservation specialist at WWF Brazil, stands on the bow of the boat with arms aloft. He plucks the white drone from the air, changes the battery, and swiftly sends it back into the sky.