Now, drones to track tigers at Sariska National Park
This summer onwards, tigers at the Sariska National Park will be monitored through drones. The forest department has made elaborate arrangements to ensure that the tiger is on their radar at all times in the rocky mountainous terrain of Sariska. Further, infra red cameras are to be installed along all villages inside the tiger reserve and on all entry and exit points of the reserve. These sensitive cameras will be linked through optical fibres to transmit footage to a data centre.
Sariska presently has a population of 14 tigers, out of which seven have radio collars fitted on them. At present, tigers are tracked through pugmarks and signals but the forest department loses track of them when they move into ravines in the hilly terrain, sometimes for several days. The drone monitoring is aimed at creating an non-intrusive tracking system. “We plan to use drones not just for tracking tigers but also to monitor water holes. Water holes in 5 6 km range can be monitored at a go, this will help us insure adequate water supply for the animals,” said Balaji Kari, DFO Sariska to DNA.
“There are 23 villages in the park area where people live. …read more
