Telangana Forest staff get trained in tranquiliser gun ops to handle wild animal incursions

Amid rising wild animal incursions in Telangana, the Forest Department has launched hands-on training in tranquiliser gun operations for field staff. The initiative covers dart firing, drug handling, and animal rescue, aiming to prevent mishaps during wildlife containment efforts.

Hyderabad: With incidents of elephants, leopards and other wild animals straying into villages increasing across the State, the Forest Department has begun conducting special training sessions on tranquiliser gun operations for its frontline staff.

In February this year, a zoo veterinarian was injured after an Indian Gaur charged at him from the bushes while he attempted to tranquilise it at Chinnakondur in Yadadri-Bhongir district. Though the animal was eventually tranquilised, it later died of shock, officials said.

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To prevent such mishaps, the department is now focusing on hands-on training for its staff. Two-day sessions have already been conducted in Mancherial and Warangal last month, and the next round of training is expected to take place at the Amrabad Tiger Reserve later this month.

The initiative targets field personnel including guards, Forest Range Officers, base camp watchers and others. While most had basic training during their induction, these refresher courses are meant to hone operational skills, a forest official said.

Experts from Rifle Associations, known for their precision shooting, are conducting the sessions. Alongside dart firing, the training also covers safe loading of syringes, handling of tranquilising drugs, and proper disposal of medical equipment. All procedures are supervised by veterinary doctors who administer the drugs, the official added.

The training also includes modules on crowd management, safe rescue of animals, and protocols for transporting captured wildlife to the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad for treatment, if necessary.

Recently, there has been a rise in sightings of wild animals near forest-fringe villages. Migratory elephants from Maharashtra have been straying into forests in the erstwhile Adilabad district, while leopard attacks on cattle have become common in Narayanpet and Mahabubnagar. There have also been several instances of crocodiles entering agricultural fields and attacking farmers in Jogulamba Gadwal.

Interestingly, tranquiliser guns are currently available only at Nehru Zoo Park in Hyderabad and Kakatiya Zoo Park in Warangal. The department is now procuring two more guns for deployment at the Amrabad and Kawal Tiger Reserves.