K’taka: Radio collar fitted to elephant in Bhuvaneshwari herd in Hassan

Hassan, Aug 10 (IANS) The Forest Department on Monday successfully fitted an indigenous radio collar on an elephant belonging to the Bhuvaneshwari wild elephant herd in the Belur Range of Hassan district, as part of efforts to monitor elephant movements and reduce human‑elephant conflict.

The radio‑collaring operation was carried out to enable forest officials to continuously track the elephant’s movements and identify its range and movement corridors. The information is expected to help the department take timely precautionary measures whenever the animal moves closer to human settlements.

A foreign‑made radio collar had been fitted on an elephant from the herd around three years ago. However, the collar stopped functioning after its battery life expired, preventing the Forest Department from continuously monitoring the animal’s location and movements through radio telemetry.

The latest operation was conducted under the supervision of veterinary officers Wasim of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Adarsh of Mysuru Circle and Vinayak of Bhadra Tiger Reserve.

Kumki elephants Ekalavya from the Nagarahole Elephant Camp and Prashanth, Dhananjaya, Eshwara, Lakshmana and Ajjayya from the Dubare Elephant Camp were deployed to assist the team in safely capturing the elephant for the operation.

Following the capture, the elephant underwent the necessary veterinary examinations and precautionary measures before the indigenous radio collar was fitted successfully. The animal was subsequently released safely back into the forest.

According to the Forest Department, the newly fitted radio collar will allow officials to monitor the elephant’s movements continuously. The data will help the department understand the animal’s movement patterns, range and important elephant corridors.

The tracking system will also enable forest officials to respond quickly when the elephant approaches villages or other human habitations, thereby helping minimise the risk of human‑elephant conflict.

With the latest operation, indigenous radio collars have now been fitted to elephants belonging to three different wild elephant herds in Hassan district, the Forest Department said.

The department has been increasingly using radio‑collaring and other monitoring technologies to track elephant movements, particularly in areas where elephants frequently come into contact with human settlements and agricultural lands.

–IANS

mka/dan