Human settlements near forest areas are at a constant risk on coming in contact with wild life, and oftentimes these incidents turn out to be fatal for either of the two or even both the parties. In an attempt to curb such incidents, folks at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun have suggested the use of drones.
These flying machines according to them will give us a clear view and location of any animal that has strayed out of its natural environment. With the new method, the WII scientists are looking to directly bring upon a reduction in the cases of man-animal conflict in and around forest areas.
They have suggested that forest authorities can fly such drones equipped with high resolution cameras as well as GPS trackers in order to make the most of the technology. This will not only help in regular surveillance of wildlife, but also contribute towards the initiative of avoiding man-animal conflict completely.
Scientists of WII have proposed that flying such drones over short distances on the peripheries of forest lands can easily allow authorities to track if dangerous animals like a tiger or an elephant have strayed into the nearby villages. Moreover, in case the villagers suspect an intrusion of their habitat by such beasts, they can inform the forest officials who can then send out their drones to monitor their movements.
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This idea of the Wildlife Institute of India has already received an endorsement from Corbett Tiger Reserve’s field director Samir Sinha who has said that the use of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will create a big difference in wildlife management.