Keonjhar: Due to the increase in man-animal conflict in Keonjhar district, the Forest department has decided to use thermal drone cameras to prevent such incidents. The drone cameras will keep track of the movement of animals, including elephants, at night officials said. It should be stated here that Keonjhar district has seven forest ranges that are prone to elephant menace.
Similarly, the cameras will help Forest officials track the movement of poachers in jungles, in conducting elephant census and track their movements in remote and inaccessible regions Thermal drones were first deployed in the Champua forest range, December 3, 2022, to track the movement of elephants at night. It was a sure-shot way of minimising human beings-elephants conflicts and ensuring the safety of both.
Since it was a successful venture, officials have now decided to use similar types of drones in Patana and Ghatagon forest ranges of the district. The Forest department and animal lovers are concerned with the rising number of elephant deaths that have been reported from various parts of the district. Keonjhar district is witnessing an increase in man-animal conflicts in the recent past. While the pachyderms are destroying crops and properties and even killing people, they are also falling prey to poachers and dying due to electrocution.
Speaking to media persons, Keonjhar DFO, Dhanraj HD said Tuesday that monitoring the movement of the pachyderms has always been a challenge for the Forest department amid various hazards like railway tracks, electrical wires, open wells, and also use of pesticides on farmlands. He said it is not easy to get real-time data on elephant movements despite the introduction of early warning and voice message systems, patrolling on bikes and on foot. Dhanraj said the thermal drones have been put in use, since Thursday, last.
The drone detects live objects through their body temperatures and the picture of the animal gets flashed on the computer screen. This helps officials differentiate between elephants and other animals. The drones also help in ascertaining the numbers in an elephant herd, the adult members, and calves in it. The detection of body temperature enables officials to identify whether an elephant inside the herd is ill or not. The DFO said that drones are being used to drive the herds away from potential danger zones.
