First forest drone in Tamil Nadu launched

Chennai: Cases of the man-animal conflict will soon see a decline in Tamil Nadu, as the state government launched five forest drones on Monday, to mark International Day of Biodiversity. After Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu is the second state in the country to use drones for real time monitoring of animal movement and to prevent the spread of forest fire.

The facility, which will be operational in the forests of Hosur, Gudalur, Coimbatore, Kodaikanal and Tirunelveli soon, has upgraded features including thermal detectors and infrared rays. The buzzing sound created by these drones is capable to re-route the elephant herd back to the forests.

“The sound produced by drones is similar to that of a honey bee buzz. The reverberating sound can send the elephants back to the forests, without human interference,” said additional principal chief conservator of forests (Protection and Vigilance) P. Jagadeesh, adding that the technology is widely used in African forests.

Incidents of poaching are also expected to come down through the real-time monitoring drones. Through thermal detectors, movement of animals and humans can be easily followed.

“During dry seasons, water holes are filled with sufficient water, to cater to the needs of the animals. In such cases, drones are highly useful for the anti-poaching watchers who are otherwise at threat. It would serve as a real-time vigilant to prevent poaching,” said The Nature Trust founder KVRK Thirunaranan.

The drones would help the forest department to keep the track of the violent-shy predators, which otherwise is done by the forest staff, at great risk. “Animals including leopards and tigers are violent and shy. In such situations, the drones will be used for forest survey and mapping,” added P. Jagadeesh.

The state forest department is all set to extend the facility to all over the state, after the success of the pilot project.  Forest department staff, would be trained in the usage of the drones.