Mysuru, August 11: The Forest Department successfully fitted a native radio collar on an elephant from the Bhuwaneshwari wild elephant herd in the Belur range of Hassan district on Monday. This initiative aims to monitor elephant activities and reduce human-elephant conflicts.
The radio collaring operation was conducted to allow forest officials to continuously track the elephant’s movements and identify its roaming range and corridors. This information is expected to assist the department in taking timely precautionary measures, especially when the animal approaches human settlements.
Three years ago, a radio collar made abroad was fitted on another elephant from the same herd. However, it ceased functioning after the battery ran out, preventing the Forest Department from consistently tracking the animal’s location and activities via radio telemetry.
The recent operation was overseen by veterinary officials from Bandipur Tiger Reserve, including Wasim, Adarsh from the Mysuru Circle, and Vinayak from Bhadra Tiger Reserve.
To assist in safely capturing the elephant for the operation, ‘Kumki’ elephants from Nagarhole Elephant Camp, including Eklavya, and those from Dubare Elephant Camp, such as Prashant, Dhananjay, Ishwar, Lakshman, and Ajayya, were deployed.
After capturing the elephant, a necessary veterinary examination was conducted before successfully fitting the native radio collar. The animal was then safely released back into the forest.
According to the Forest Department, the newly fitted radio collar will help officials continuously monitor the elephant’s activities. This data will aid in understanding the animal’s movement patterns, range, and critical pathways.
The tracking system will also enable forest officials to act swiftly when the elephant approaches villages or other human settlements, thereby reducing the risk of human-elephant conflicts. With this recent operation, the Forest Department has now fitted native radio collars on elephants from three different wild herds in Hassan district.
The department is rapidly utilizing radio collaring and other monitoring technologies to track elephant activities, particularly in areas where elephants frequently come into contact with human settlements and agricultural lands.
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