Drones with Night Vision: A New Hope for Resolving Human-Elephant Conflicts in Ranchi

Ranchi, Sep 2 – The Jharkhand Forest Department is exploring a novel approach to mitigating human-elephant conflicts in the Ranchi division by deploying drones outfitted with advanced night-vision technology. A senior forest official disclosed on Tuesday that this initiative is in the proposal stage and will soon be submitted for necessary approval.

If the trial in Ranchi shows promising results, this innovative strategy will be extended to other divisions in the state.

A trial run has already been carried out in Ranchi's Silli forest region, yielding encouraging outcomes both during day and night. According to Ranchi Divisional Forest Officer Srikant Verma, the night-vision-equipped drone demonstrated exceptional clarity in tracking an elephant herd even in darkness.

Verma emphasized that drone surveillance could be a game-changer in addressing man-elephant conflicts, which tragically result in a significant loss of human lives each year.

Over the last five years, Jharkhand has seen an average annual loss of 95 human lives due to these conflicts. Data presented in Parliament by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in February highlighted that such conflicts in Jharkhand accounted for 474 deaths over five years since 2019-20.

With 87 fatalities recorded in 2023-24, the number is slightly lower than previous years, which saw 96 deaths in 2022-23 and 133 in 2021-22. Nationally, Jharkhand ranks second after Odisha, which reported 624 deaths in the same period.

Verma identified Silli, Bedo, Hundru, Mudmu, and Tandwa in Latehar district as the main conflict zones within the Ranchi forest division, which also encompasses parts of Latehar and Lohardaga districts.

During the trial, elephants were visible even under mild forest canopies, and crucially, their behavior remained unaffected by the drones. This technology promises real-time monitoring and enhanced coordination with ground patrols.

Verma noted that tracking elephants at night is challenging, but the drones could provide their precise locations, enabling timely alerts to local communities.

However, the cost of the drones is relatively high, exceeding Rs 40 lakh each.

Jharkhand has identified 17 major elephant corridors to date.

Former state wildlife board member D S Srivastava attributed the increase in man-elephant conflicts to factors like unplanned development, mining, unregulated grazing, forest fires, and food scarcity.

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)