In August 2022, a large herd of wild elephants entered Gadchiroli in Maharashtra from Chhattisgarh. This was followed by regular reports of elephants raiding agricultural fields and damaging homes in the villages they passed through. For more than one reason, Gadchiroli is a challenging landscape for wildlife monitoring on foot, and thus, the composition, behavior and movement patterns of this elephant herd remain largely unknown.
“This is the second year that wild elephants entered Maharashtra from Chhattisgarh. Last year, we saw that when they were on the border of Brahmapuri and Wadsa, the forest department teams were ready to deal with any situation, but predicting where the herd was and where the on-ground efforts should be concentrated, a The challenge was. , Shortly thereafter, we purchased a thermal drone (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and are using it effectively to manage human-leopard conflict situations in western Maharashtra. Thermal drones make the invisible visible when you need it most,” said Tuhin Sattarkar, director of wildlife rescue and aerial drone operator RESQ Charitable Trust,
This year, at the request of the Maharashtra Forest Department, Satarkar again headed to Gadchiroli with Amit Todkar, Aniket Sayam, Naresh Chandak and Nachiket Utpat from the RESQ team. He worked with officials from Gadchiroli and Vadsa Forest Divisions as well as other NGOs Stripes and Green Earth Foundation (SAGE) and farmer for the forestAll of them played an important role in handling a species that was relatively new to the community there.
Elephants used to rest in the forest during the day and start walking after dusk. “It was risky for a limited number of individuals to track the herd on foot in that scenario,” Satarkar said. Using thermal drones, they were able to safely observe the structure and behavior of the swarm from afar.
“Plus, it does not disturb the animals as it is quite quiet and works well even when viewed from a height of more than 100 feet above the ground. Most importantly, its thermal capability allows for safe monitoring at night, which is essential for elephants,” said Satarkar.
“This is the first time in India that wild elephants have been monitored using thermal UAVs. From multiple captures of thermal drones, we now know that the herd numbers 23, consisting of six young calves. We also know that if left relatively small, swarms cause very little damage to crops in fields and if they come too close to villages, they need to be stopped,” said Sunil Limaye, Van (Wildlife) Maharashtra said the Chief Patron of
Wild elephants are new to the people there. To avoid human casualties and damage to animals, Limaye said the Maharashtra Forest Department has worked proactively to ensure speedy compensation. “Teams on the ground are also running community awareness programs to make villagers aware and educated about living safely around wild elephants.”
However, heavy rains posed a challenge as it was not possible to fly a drone in such weather. But the information provided by it is proving to be invaluable.
“Thermal drone imaging is a complementary tool in the effective management of human-wildlife conflict and can be used in conjunction with other management tools such as early warning systems (EWS), on-ground tracking, community outreach efforts, forest development, etc. . ”added Sattarkar.
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Thermal UAVs and Leopards
In western Maharashtra, where human-leopard conflicts are rapidly escalating due to changes in land use patterns and increasing resources for leopard populations outside protected forest areas, it is common for the forest to convene a RESQ team. . Department to assist when a village or community feels threatened by livestock slaughter or frequent sightings of leopards near human settlements.
RESQ field coordinator Sonesh Ingole recounts an incident when a local farmer near Solapur saw a leopard in his banana plantation. This village had never encountered a leopard before. Soon, all the villagers gathered around the field with sticks and sticks to “tack it” when they came out.
“Generally, the mindset of the crowd is such that most people who gather would run away or quickly disperse if the animal decided to show itself, but situations like this are unpredictable and can get out of hand. . Our team was fortunately in the area in another rescue position, so we went there to assist the forest department teams, who were already dealing with the angry mob of people,” Ingole said.
The thermal drone detected the leopard in Bagan. The team showed the pictures to the villagers and explained that it was probably just passing by but was now stuck there as they surrounded the plantation.
“The villagers decided to retreat on their own. The forest department teams ensured that people left for their safety and that of the leopards. The leopard went out of the field the same night and the next morning when it was shown to the people that his narrative had changed to ‘it was only passing’ and that his obsession with pressurizing the forest department to capture the leopard had completely passed. Was, ”said Ingol.
In another incident, when a local farmer was convinced that a leopard had entered his field, thermal imaging was useful in showing him and the rest of the villagers who had gathered at the spot that it was a wild cat. Definitely won’t harm them but will help them with pest control.
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future flights
Drones were historically used by military in World War II. Over the past few decades, they have become inexpensive and are used more widely for exploration work and aerial photography and videography. They have been widely used in many fields including construction, disaster management, geographic mapping, agriculture, marketing, shipping and distribution, search and rescue operations.
Their application in wildlife monitoring is widespread but was long restricted to daytime scenes due to limited imagery capability. While surveillance applications are incredibly useful for conducting wildlife research, including daily species and population estimates of wildlife corridor mapping, thermal drones have opened up wider applications in the prevention and management of human-wildlife conflict.
Wildlife management in India has become more challenging over time due to the multifactorial complexities synonymous with development. Whether it is monitoring wildlife movement and behavior, reducing conflict, or assisting veterinary teams during chemical stabilization and capturing wildlife on the field, there is a way to complement existing on-ground efforts. The use of thermal drones as an effective tool is yet to be widely explored. The positive news is that it has started under the leadership of Maharashtra.
Neha Panchmiya is the founder and chairperson of RESQ Charitable Trust. He tweeted @NehaPanchamia. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Likes)