The Karnataka Forest Department in collaboration with a private manufacturer has indigenously developed a cost-effective radio collar to track elephant movements. The radio collars (K.P. Tracker) are cheaper and weigh less compared to the imported ones which were used earlier.
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre distributed these new radio collars to forest officials from Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves on Wednesday.
Imported earlier
Earlier, the department was importing radio collars from South Africa-based African Wildlife Tracking and German-based Vectronic which apart from costing ₹6.5 lakh for each unit was also not easily available. On the other hand, the indigenously developed radio collars cost ₹1.80 lakh per unit.
They also weigh only seven kilos compared to the imported collars, that weigh between 16 to 17 kg. The new collars also use eco-friendly raw materials, ensuring they pose no threat to wildlife or the environment.
Mr. Khandre said that with 6,395 elephants, Karnataka has the highest elephant population in India.
In three districts
“There are a lot of elephant movements in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, and Hassan. To track their movements, especially those of female elephants that usually lead the herds, locally developed radio collars would be put on them to provide information to local communities,” Mr. Khandre said.
He said that using imported radio collars also posed the risk of leaking sensitive wildlife data. “The development of domestic radio collars ensures that such information remains secure on local servers,” he added.
The Minister said that collars for tigers and leopards are under progress and will be launched soon.
Published – February 05, 2025 07:48 pm IST