Ahmedabad: In an effort to strengthen Asiatic lion conservation at Gir National Park after poaching incidents of 2007, the Gujarat government is in the process of introduction of high-tech gadgets like GPS, automated sensor grid and night vision devices to make the jungles safe.
Poaching of eight lions in three different incidents in April 2007 in the Gir had sent shock waves across the state, after which the state government had formed a task force to suggest ways to protect the Asiatic lions in their last abode, whose number as per the last survey was 359.
"Based on the recommendations of the task force, we are in the process to introduce these high-tech gadgets in the Gir forest for the lion conservation," Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), Pradeep Khanna informed.
"We have identified technology partners for the development of communication systems based on GPS," Khanna said.
The task force, which was also headed by Khanna, had proposed integrated solution to incorporate modern technology for enhancing conservation efficiency, he said.
Gujarat Government, last week in an affidavit in the Supreme Court, declined to give Gir Lions to Madhya Pradesh for their relocation in Kuno-Palpur sanctuary.
The task force has proposed to use GPS-based system for surveillance tracking, animal tracking and also tracking of vehicles coming inside the Gir Sanctuary.
It is envisaged that all field level subordinates (foresters), supervisory staff and senior officers would be equipped with hand-held devices capable of voice, data and geo-coordinate transmission. Such devices would be networked to a central server.
Long-term data generated from the network would increase our understanding about the dispersal dynamics of large carnivores, the task force report said.
Regarding animal surveillance through the GPS tracking, the task force has proposed that approximately 10 per cent of the lion population covering its entire geographical spread should be fitted with GPS Collars capable of transmission of signals. "One animal in a pride should be fitted with such a collar," it said.
In the initial phase, about 10-20 animals may be fitted with the GPS collars. Coupled with surveillance tracking and geographical record of sightings, it could generate excellent spatio-temporal models of dispersion, the task force said.
The task force has also suggested establishing of automated sensor grid, which would consist of unattended, miniaturised, weatherproof, concealable sensors that are networked via a radio gateway and which when triggered would generate alarms in a predefined manner.
Bureau Report
