ASHEBORO, N.C. (WFMY)-- The North Carolina Zoo is taking part in a research project called the International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space.
Dr. Corinne Kendall said the new technology will allow the zoo to learn more about migration patterns and track species they haven't been able to before, like where baby animals go when they grow up.
"For these young animals, dispersal is gonna be a really big question too. So looking at movements that animals make. Sometimes animals do incredible things in their first couple years of life or when they leave their regular herd. So getting to see that is gonna be really exciting," said Dr. Kendall.
Astronauts connected an antenna to the space station. Zookeepers then attached an ear tag to a kudu calf recently born at the zoo. It the connection between the two works at the zoo, they'll start tagging animals in the wild.
The new tag is much smaller than the current technology used to track animals, like the elephants in Africa over the last 18 years.
"That information's really helpful so that rangers know where the elephants are and that way they can direct their activities to help reduce poaching. With the elephants its also been useful for looking at human, wildlife conflict, so that they can find out when an elephant is about to leave a park," said Dr. Kendall.
The North Carolina Zoo is the only zoo in the United States participating in this research project.
