Karnataka is the first state in India to use GPS tracking devices to help combat their elephant problem. Jumbo elephants in the region raid villages causing a lot of destruction. Not only do the massive beasts destroy crops, but they also injure and even kill villagers. One method to deal with this problem is to hunt and kill the problematic elephants, but with the elephant population dwindling, The Forest Department is looking for alternatives.
Here’s where GPS devices come into play. The Forest Department has decided to track four specific elephants in the region with GPS collars, developed by the Department of Electronics Study, Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. The department will receive location information from the elephants so they can better manage the herds. The devices are water-proof with a battery life of over two years.
The four elephants being tracked were chosen because they were determined to be the leaders of four problematic herds. Herds led by one leader and supported by two other large elephants. Wherever the leader goes, the herd will follow. If you’re tracking the leader, you’ve got the whole herd. If a herd is moving towards a village, the researchers can notify the village to prepare and also get the elephant-driving staff to the village as quickly as possible.
“If we collar the leader, it will help us identify the location. For the time being, we have decided to fix this device on four elephants. After some time we will fix it on other jumbos, too. Once we do it, neighboring states, Kerala and Tamil Nadu may follow suit. Our intention is to check man-elephant conflict which is quite serious in the state,” G S Prabhu told the New Indian Express.
Google+
GPS Technology Helps Curb Human-Elephant Conflict in India
No comments:
Post a Comment