After K’jhar, thermal drone to be used in other divisions to track
elephants (Bhubaneswar)
Riyan Ramanath V, Times of India
July 18, 2024
After the successful operation of thermal drone to track the movement of
elephants in Keonjhar district, the wildlife wing of the forest department
on Wednesday said the practice will be replicated in other divisions which
have a large presence of the animals.
Bonai, a mining-rich area in Sundargarh district, was the second wildlife
division to implement the technique as it records elephant movement
round-the-year like Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Angul, Athgarh, Balasore and
Mayurbhanj.
Lalit Kumar Patra, divisional forest officer (Bonai), said elephant tracker
squads and drone operators work in tandem. “The elephant trackers in the
field get inputs about likely movement of elephant in areas close to human
habitation. Then we engage the drone to pinpoint the location where the
elephants are moving. The thermal drone gives us the real-time images even
if it is one animal as infrared radiation detects heat-sensitive objects.
We then start the intervention to alert the local people and drive away the
animal,” Patra told TOI.
Patra said in several instances, illegal transportation of manganese has
been caught through the deployment of thermal cameras in certain areas
under Bonai division. “Let alone illegal transportation, trespassing has
also been detected. In forest areas, however, such a drone can’t be used
randomly but only on getting related inputs.
Otherwise such a vast landscape can’t be put under routine surveillance,”
he added.
Susanta Nanda, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), said
thermal drone cameras come in use more significantly to track poaching
incidents. “An experimental use in Similipal Tiger Reserve yielded the
real-time image of a poacher caught in action. The scope of its use can be
expanded in the future,” said Nanda.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/thermal-drone-tracking-elephants-in-forest-divisions/articleshow/111821037.cms
After K’jhar, thermal drone to be used in other divisions to track
elephants (Bhubaneswar)
Riyan Ramanath V, Times of India
July 18, 2024
After the successful operation of thermal drone to track the movement of
elephants in Keonjhar district, the wildlife wing of the forest department
on Wednesday said the practice will be replicated in other divisions which
have a large presence of the animals.
Bonai, a mining-rich area in Sundargarh district, was the second wildlife
division to implement the technique as it records elephant movement
round-the-year like Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Angul, Athgarh, Balasore and
Mayurbhanj.
Lalit Kumar Patra, divisional forest officer (Bonai), said elephant tracker
squads and drone operators work in tandem. “The elephant trackers in the
field get inputs about likely movement of elephant in areas close to human
habitation. Then we engage the drone to pinpoint the location where the
elephants are moving. The thermal drone gives us the real-time images even
if it is one animal as infrared radiation detects heat-sensitive objects.
We then start the intervention to alert the local people and drive away the
animal,” Patra told TOI.
Patra said in several instances, illegal transportation of manganese has
been caught through the deployment of thermal cameras in certain areas
under Bonai division. “Let alone illegal transportation, trespassing has
also been detected. In forest areas, however, such a drone can’t be used
randomly but only on getting related inputs.
Otherwise such a vast landscape can’t be put under routine surveillance,”
he added.
Susanta Nanda, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), said
thermal drone cameras come in use more significantly to track poaching
incidents. “An experimental use in Similipal Tiger Reserve yielded the
real-time image of a poacher caught in action. The scope of its use can be
expanded in the future,” said Nanda.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/thermal-drone-tracking-elephants-in-forest-divisions/articleshow/111821037.cms