Nowadays nearly everyone — and yes this probably includes your grandmother – has a smart phone. But for animal care workers this little device can be very helpful in the field.
Apart from the obvious, such as calling for help and or backup, your smart phone is an essential piece of equipment to carry with you at all times. Here are the top five reasons to keep your mobile device with you at all times:
1) Stay in contact during a search
For example two people looking for a dog on the loose may be searching in different places. They can stay in contact to update each other on the dog’s location or on whether the dog has been found.
2) Internet access
Bookmark informative websites on animals you may encounter. This can help you be better informed on how to safely and carefully handle wild animals. Also you can pass on useful information on animal care and handling to clients.
3) Speed dial an expert.
Compile a list of people who can help answer questions or assist on scene for situations that may arise on the job. Have an exotic species expert available to send photos from your smart phone for species identification. In cases such as poisonous snakes, this could be a life or death situation. Have a plumber to help out, for example with animals that have fallen down pipes. Plumbers may have tools such a camera that can snake down a drain to see the animal.
4) Identify your location.
What if during an emergency you want others to know where you are, but you are not sure where in the woods or a field you are located and cannot easily describe how you even got there? You can use your mobile device to get GPS coordinates to describe or send your location. Also, you can map your route as you go into a remote area in order to avoid getting lost.
5) Talk about lucky ducks!
How to get ducklings out of harm’s way with the help of technology? By using an app of a mother duck calling out, rescue workers saved two ducklings stuck in a sewer.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/trapped-ducklings-in-windsor-saved-by-cellphone-app-1.1379938
The call of the wild helps save the day. There are apps for other animal and bird calls too.
Your smartphone is an invaluable resource in the field so always have it charged and have the phone charger with you in your truck at all times.
Make sure to back up your contacts, websites & data to a cloud server that you can download to your phone, or from another device.
Protect your smartphone with a waterproof container or bag.
Use a hands free earpiece so you can continue to work as you talk to others helping you.