When you’ve heard a shot, it’s already too late. In all likelihood the rhino is dead, and the best outcome is that the poacher is found and arrested.

But now a potent new weapon has been added to the anti-poaching arsenal, helping rangers get ahead of disaster. It’s an integrated system called Connected Conservation, and it uses a combination of technologies—WiFi, thermal cameras, scanners, closed-circuit televisions, and sensors—to provide early warnings about suspicious activity. Rangers can deploy as soon as the perimeter of a protected area is breached and intercept intruders faster and with less risk to life and limb.

Connected Conservation is a collaboration between two international technology companies, Dimension Data, headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Cisco, based in San