Keonjhar: Forest department officials have started using drone cameras to monitor the movements of wild and ailing elephants in remote forest areas of Keonjhar district. The drive is aimed at ensuring safety of the animals and alerting people in those areas about the presence of elephants. Sources said, elephant menace has been a routine affair in various pockets of the district, leading to man-animal conflict.
Officials said that drone camera are useful as they will track the movement of the animals and people can be alerted when the pachyderms are close to the villages. The cameras will be useful in counting their numbers and help in tracking missing elephants from their respective herds, they added. Sources pointed out that the district has witnessed a large number of elephant deaths in the last few years due to various reasons including accidents. Also detecting the carcasses of deceased animals in dense and remote areas have become a tough task.
Officials said that many elephants fall sick due to various reasons. With the help of drones, all these issues can be attended to properly. A few days ago, Forest department officials got to know about an ailing jumbo in Telkoi range. By using a drone camera, they kept vigil on the animal till it got well. Officials also said that drone camera will help in identifying the different herds. Animals that get separated from their herds can also be tracked. A WhatsApp group has been created by the Forest department along with personnel from the Railways and Power departments.
Information is being shared on this group regarding the movement of the tuskers. So when the elephants are near electric wires, then the power is being turned off. Trains also slow down once there is information about the presence of animals near railway tracks. Forest department officials feel that in this manner, elephant deaths due to accidents can be avoided.