Leopard monitoring goes high-tech in Telangana forests

With leopard capture incidents rising in Telangana, the Forest Department is launching a pilot project to scientifically monitor released leopards using radio collars. This initiative marks a first for the state and aims to assess how well the animals adapt to new habitats, including tiger-inhabited zones.

Hyderabad: With leopard capture incidents on the rise across the State, the Telangana Forest Department is set to procure two radio collars to track the movement of the animals after their release into the wild.

In the last two years, seven leopards have been captured, three from ICRISAT, three from Chilkur and one from Shamshabad. After veterinary doctors at the Nehru Zoological Park issue a fitness certificate, the animals are typically released into the forest.

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Before their release, the department evaluates the availability of water sources and prey base, such as spotted deer, in the new habitat, which is usually more expansive than the area from which the leopard was captured.

Currently, the department has no system to track the animals after they are released. Officials hope the leopards will adjust and survive in the new territory, which in some cases falls within tiger-inhabited areas.

Under a pilot project, the department now intends to conduct a scientific study to monitor the survival of the released leopards. This marks the first time it has procured radio collars, each costing about Rs. 1.5 lakh, a senior official said.

The collars are designed to function for about a year without charging and can cover an area of up to 10,000 hectares. Once fitted, a transmitter attached to the collar emits signals, which can be tracked from a base station or by mobile teams deployed in the area.

As part of the pilot, the department will also work with NGOs experienced in tracking wildlife with radio collars. In Karnataka, similar collars are already being used to monitor elephants.

“After formal approval from the government, the department will procure the radio collars in a month or two,” the official said.