As Karnataka has highest number of tigers in the country, the State forest department has evolved a mobile android-based application to track tigers in the wild and for better coordination among anti-poaching camp personnel and forest department people.
A new application called Hejje, or pug mark, an indigenously developed application for android mobiles was launched in Bandipur Tiger Reserve on Monday which is expected to boost vigil in the forest and also help movement of the foresters and anti-poaching camp officials with specific data.
This application developed first time in the country will help coordinate foot patrolling of forest staff apart from providing the range forest officers live update of their respective anti-poaching patrolling activities such as patrol time, water level in lakes, suspicious activities, tree population and forest fires.
According to HC Kantharaj, Director of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, this application Hejje adds new protocol to the monitoring of tigers across forests. Bandipur which has one of the highest densities of tigers in the wild in the country needs modern gadgets and its adaptation to monitor tigers which has always been in danger.
According to Kantharaj the person using this application can take instant photographs and use the Hejje as an application to transmit the photo as well as information to all the concerned which is crucial to monitor tigers.
He said, “This application will help us to understand the gravity of situation along with range forest officers will get real-time updates of patrol start time, end time, distance covered and animal sighted. The data is encrypted and hence, secured and information will be accessible only to authorised staff.”
According to Kantharaj, animal movement along the fringes can also be detected by this application. By alert mechanism that will help take even pug marks and animal paths can be monitored by just taking a photograph and downloading it with the GPS location’ he added. Water holes, forest fires can also be recorded and monitored with this application.
According to Forest officials, around 40 mobile phones have been distributed to forest staff with this application to monitor tigers.
This application is developed by Bangalore-based company KeyFalcon Solutions along with forest officers with specific inputs.
This habitat tracking device used in Bandipur Tiger Reserve, would help collect vital information of habitats like patrolling efficiency, herbivore and carnivore population, water availability and man-animal conflicts and is a step forward in protecting big cats.
