A CUPULATTA Association for the Protection of Turtles Provides Enhanced Security for Residents

With repeated break-ins and thefts of endangered turtles, the association turns to NextiraOne to provide security for animal sanctuary

Paris, 12 July, 2010 - NextiraOne, Europe’s leading expert in communications services, has been retained by the centre for the breeding and protection of the turtle, A CUPULATTA, to ensure the protection and preservation of its Corsican habitat.

The A Cupulatta wildlife sanctuary houses over 3000 turtles from 170 different species and from every continent. It depends for revenue on the 50,000 people who visit each year during the Summer season and on the sale of turtle eggs, some from extremely rare and almost extinct species.

A Cupulatta has repeatedly been the victim of break-ins and the theft of specimens. The association therefore wished to install a surveillance system to protect the turtles and to supervise the flow of visitors. The system had to meet several criteria including a strategic positioning of the cameras, a scalable solution that could evolve over time and the ability to play back recorded images.

NextiraOne was chosen following a competitive tender and has designed a comprehensive security system for the sanctuary. The system implemented covers both interior and exterior locations around the entrances and exits of the park. Security is provided through a technology environment that incorporates a full Sony IP solution with 15 VMS RSM cameras and Raid 5 NSR recording system over an Alcatel-Lucent LAN network with Cisco WiFi links.

There are a number of benefits of this solution for the association. Firstly it has allowed a simplification of the operations providing a centralized solution. Secondly it allows the security to be focused on the nesting grounds of the turtles. Remote surveillance and flexibility in adding and positioning of cameras are also an advantage. The investment in this technology does not impinge on the work of the association, since a full return on investment will be achieved within just two years.

Project stages are as follows:
Phase 1    placement of fibre optic cable and technical locations
Phase 2    implementation of the IP network and video surveillance solution
Phase 3    (future) setting up of WiFi coverage to ensure the geolocation of specimens and mobile telephony across the site.