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Unique project by Uttarakhand Forest Dept: Drones to monitor wildlife corridors

Wild animals get killed on railway tracks on a regular basis throughout India. In the process of crossing the tracks,…

Unique project by Uttarakhand Forest Dept: Drones to monitor wildlife corridors

Representational Image (Photo: Getty Images)

Wild animals get killed on railway tracks on a regular basis throughout India. In the process of crossing the tracks, the animals are hit by rail locomotives. The Uttarakhand forest department has started a pilot project in the Kumoan region to stop wildlife deaths on railway lines, using drones for track surveillance.

Drones are being used over the Lalkuan-Kashipur track route, at Tanda crossing to monitor wildlife. Under the special surveillance exercise, 15-20 minutes before the arrival of the train the drone is used for inspecting the tracks and movement of wildlife.

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Uttarakhand’s Conservator of Forests (Western Circle- Kumaon) Parag Madhukar Dhakate said, “Since the past few years wild animals like tigers, leopards and elephants have been killed on rail tracks due to head-on collision with rail locomotives.

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Therefore with an objective to reduce wild animal accidents on railway tracks, drones are being used to maintain regular surveillance over tracks passing through wildlife corridors in the Tarai areas.”

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