Forest dept develops radio collar for jumbos

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre on Wednesday launched K P Tracker an indigenous GSM-based elephant radio collar developed by the Forest Department in collaboration with Infiction Labs Pvt Ltd for monitoring elephants to effectively mitigate human-elephant conflicts. These newly launched Karnataka Researched Trackers are cost-effective radio collars that are readily available for immediate deployment. They have been made using locally sourced, environmentally friendly materials to ensure a reduced ecological impact, officials said. Citing incidents of elephants roaming around Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, and Hassan, the minister said that locals will now be informed about elephant movements through the use of indigenously made radio collars fitted to female elephants, which usually lead the herd.

This initiative is expected to help curb the elephant menace. These radio collars have now been handed over to officials of Bandipur and Nagarhole Tiger Reserves. According to Khandre, with 6,395 elephants, Karnataka has the highest population in the country. However, since forest cover is not expanding in proportion to the elephant population, human-elephant conflicts are on the rise.