Computer chips to be used to foil cactus thieves
2008. Computer chips to be used to foil cactus thieves. Community College Week. Unknown. 20 Oct 2008. 3 pages
Article that tells of U.S. National Park Service officials planning to imbed microchips in Arizona's saguaro cactus to protect them from thieves, who rip them from the desert to sell them to landscapers, nurseries and homeowners. The primary objective is deterrence, but the chips would also aid in tracking down and identifying stolen saguaros. Plant pilferers typically target the relatively young and small specimens in the 4- to 7-foot range which are probably 30 to 50 years old. Plants of that size typically fit in the bed of a pickup truck; bigger ones require heavy equipment to lift and larger vehicles to haul them.
- Type
- Newspaper Article
- Date of Issue
- 2008-10-20
- Publisher
- Community College Week
- Units
- SAGU
- Keywords
- cactus thieves, microchips, Saguaro National Park, theft deterrence