T forest officials deploy thermal drones to track jumbos near state border (Hyderabad) U Sudhakar Reddy, Times of India April 24, 2024 The Telangana chief wildlife wing (CWLW) is using drones and thermal scanners to monitor elephants, especially after recent incidents in which an elephant caused fatalities. The drones are helping the forest department track the movements of a herd of elephants which is currently near the state borders. Chief wildlife warden Mohan Chandra Pargaien explained that while tracking elephants, it is important to maintain a safe distance of at least 100 metres as elephants are very intelligent and can quickly sense human presence. Regular drones are used during the day to monitor them without intrusion. However, since elephants are more active at night, thermal drones become essential for tracking their movements. The forest department has procured regular drones to assess plantations, which are now also being utilized for wildlife tracking. Although they have one thermal drone, the department borrowed another from the Maharashtra forest department. Drones allow the forest staff to cover large areas within two to three kilometre radius, which would be challenging with ground personnel. CWLW Pargaien also mentioned that they requested Project Elephant funds for conflict and habitat management. Recently, a workshop was conducted for officials at the Dhulapalli Forest Academy, focusing on managing human-elephant conflicts. Retired principal chief conservator of forests TV Narsinga Rao, a senior wildlife warden from Chhattisgarh with extensive experience, led the session. Another workshop took place in Mancherial for the forest, revenue, and police departments, as well as for village sarpanchs. These workshops address elephant conflict management, especially in the Adilabad, Asifabad, and Mancherial districts. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/t-forest-officials-deploythermal-drones-to-trackjumbos-near-state-border/articleshow/109543989.cms