VR app raises awareness of New Zealand’s native birds

A social enterprise company aims to engage people with the protection and growth of the country’s native bird population.

A new virtual reality app is bringing New Zealand’s wildlife into the classrooms. Social enterprise company, Squawk Squad, has partnered with VR company, M Theory to create a buzz around New Zealand’s native birds using a modern day spin. Pests kill around 25 million birds native to the country every year and 77 bird species are threatened with extinction. As a result, New Zealand’s government has tried to address this issue with the Predator Free 2050 plan. It aims to rid the country of rats, stoats and possums by 2050.

In the meantime, to help solve the growing issue, Squawk Squad connects people with sanctuaries via a web-app and helps fund sensor-connected traps. The funders can see where their trap is deployed in the sanctuary and are notified in real-time when their trap activates. This indicates the positive impact that their investment is having on native birdlife. The company also uses modern, self-resettable traps that trigger 24 times without any servicing needed. Together with a live view, sanctuaries can saved a considerable amount of labour time.

The collaboration with M Theory helps spread the message using VR to portray it. The experience takes the user through a forest journey in a game-like format. The innovative method encourages conversation on wildlife by providing a real-life inspired experience. Additionally, it helps children to also understand and resonate with the subject.

Virtual reality is providing education in a breadth of fields. From being utilised as a form of therapy to assisting airplane seat selection, the benefits of the technology are expansive. How could virtual reality create an extra offering to your business operation?