Solar powered blinking lights to check leopard attacks in Bijnor
“We have received 10 lights which were installed on Wednesday, with help from WWF India experts, alongwith trap cameras in those locations where frequent movement of leopards has been captured”, said forest department’s sub divisional magistrate Gyan Singh and explained that these lights got charged through sunlight and created an illusion of existence of human population or possible danger to leopards and other wild animals.
MEERUT Increasing leopard attacks in different parts of Bijnor district have alarmed the foresters who have now decided to take help of technology to minimise man- animal conflict in the district.
The forest department has decided to go in for trials of solar powered blinking lights, designed and developed by the students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, as per the forest department’s sub divisional magistrate (SDM) in Bijnor, Gyan Singh.
“We have received 10 lights which were installed on Wednesday, with help from WWF India experts, alongwith trap cameras in those locations where frequent movement of leopards has been captured”, said Singh and explained that these lights got charged through sunlight and created an illusion of existence of human population or possible danger to leopards and other wild animals.
Gyan Singh explained that if these lights worked well during trial and helped in keeping animals away from human populations, more such lights would be procured and installed at other vulnerable locations.
Man- animal conflict has turned into a major challange for the forest officials who are trying to control on leopard attacks. These leopards have made sugarcane fields their natural habitat and they often attack cattle and goats . They also attack children, women and farmers during their movement close to human population.
To note, leopards had killed 22 people in Bijnor in the past 18 months and injured over a dozen. Meanwhile, more than 80 leopards were either caged or died in road accidents during the same period .
Leopard attacks have adversely affected the daily lives of people, including farmers. The forest department has declared more than 175 villages situated around Amangarh Tiger Reserve as most sensitive and villagers are being sensitised about dos and dont’s to protect themselves from possible feline attacks .
