Two endangered African rhinos will die today, and then another two tomorrow.

The online newspaper McClatchy reports that 700 rhinos fall victim to poaching each year. As a result of a steady increase in poaching activity, the number of rhinos poached annually has quintupled since 2004.

Fortunately for the southern African beasts, the U.S. has committed to a more active role in fighting poaching.

Alongside Japan, the U.S. Federal Government is producing and shipping out unarmed military drones (UADs) to the African grasslands. Armed with multiple infrared cameras to relay live video, the drones are designed to track both wildlife and poaching activity.

The funding for these drones is courtesy of a grant gathered by intercepting profits from the trade of rhino horns. According to International Business Times, rhino horn currently sells for around $25,000 per pound on the black market.

Evidently, drones have their own skeptics — primarily, some U.S. citizens who have concerns about the invasion of privacy associated with drones. While drones have flown over enemy territory in the Middle East for years now, the possibility of flying drones over civilian property is alarming to many.

However, active conservationists claim that invasion of civilian privacy by U.S. government-sponsored drones is inconceivable, as the drones are expected to fly largely at night over federally-owned grasslands.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies Jeremy Rinker weighs in.

“In a context of fighting poachers … I don’t see much of a problem with it, especially since (the drones) are unarmed.”

As for whether the drones are necessary in putting an end to rhino poaching, Rinker said, “I’ve actually spent some time in Africa in parts like these, and they’re huge. There is no way you could employ enough people, even if they had the budget, which they don’t … it’s probably one of the only ways to make a difference.”

And in a time where safari-goers are instructed not to tweet pictures of rhinos in order to conceal a herd’s location from poachers, it’s about time something made a difference.