Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Thermal cameras to track movement of tigers

Bipin Chand Agarwal, TNN May 14, 2013
BAHRAICH: Wildlife experts would now be able to keep a track on the movement of tigers through thermal sensor cameras.

After the counting of tigers at Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary and Dudhwa National Park in January this year, it is going to start at Kishanpur Forest Wildlife Sanctuary of Pilibhit soon. All these sanctuaries are inter-connected. The pictures of the tigers in three forest areas would be tallied by the experts. After the installation of cameras in Kishanpur, the number of thermal cameras would go up to 326.

In the summer of 2012, thermal censor cameras were installed at tiger reserve area in Katarniaghat. These cameras were installed across an area of 200 square metres and could not give the desired result. At that time, the experts of WWF did all the research but when the pictures were sent to the Wildlife Institute of India Dehradun, the need of monitoring the movement of the tigers of adjoining areas was also felt. The experts laid emphasis on the aspect of the tigers' diet, prey and reproductive needs. They said that the animals go to far off places to fulfil these needs. In view of this movement, counting is not possible by installing cameras only in one particular forest. In the month of January, 2013 the plan of capturing the movements of herbivorous and carnivorous animals was initiated by installing the cameras at Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Dudhwa National Park of Lakhimpur and Kishanpur Forest area of Pilibhit. Moreover the activists of WWF would take the pictures by installing the camers at Berdia National Park of Nepal. The Nepal unit of WWF is working on it. Berdia National Park adjoins Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary on Indo-Nepal border.

District project officer Dabeer Hasan told TOI that the work has been completed in two forest areas and now the cameras are being installed at Kishanpur Forest Area. He said that the cameras would be installed at Berdia of Nepal later. The experts would tally and study the pictures after camera installation is complete in all the three forest areas. Thereafter, the normal movement of tigers in the forest would be known. The status of cubs or the increase or decrease in the number of tigers can be established. Meanwhile, if the photography work is completed in Nepal, the pictures captured there would also be tallied with the pictures captured in the forests in Indian territories. These activities would be executed under the supervision of the experts of wildlife institute.

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-14/flora-fauna/39254768_1_cameras-pilibhit-tigers

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