Says 300 people in India die of elephant attacks per year
Dr M. Hemalatha Mahalingam
Nellore: Research and Development Cell of local Narayana Engineering College is working on two advanced modules to contain human elephant conflict and prevent the tuskers from destroying standing crops at the field level. “Elephant are the most intelligent of animals in the world now. A survey tells that around 300 people in India die of elephant attacks every year. This is due to shrinking of forest area and human encroachment.
Since the elephants are treated as an endangered species, it is the responsibility of humans to overcome this human elephant conflict without any harm to elephants, human beings and other animals. This fact drove us to devise a prevention method after a long research,” said Dr M. Hemalatha Mahalingam, Professor for ECE branch in Narayana.
The research is based on the established fact that elephants use infrasonic sound generated by stamping their foot for communication over many miles.
“Elephant calls are outside the pitch-range of humans, but other elephants heed the rumblings,” Dr Hemalatha said. Dr Hemalatha, a former lecturer in reputed Sastra University in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, said, “One of the modules we are developing is generating infrasonic waves to caution the pachyderms from entering habitations and farms and another one is sensor based alarm to alert the locals on elephants heading towards their villages.” An alarm system developed by IIT-Kharagpur to prevent elephants from getting hit by trains, inspired Dr Hemalatha and her team to take up the project.
They approached the forest department after trials conducted in simulated environments were successful. She said that they are seeking permission of the forest wing to study the movement of elephants. She informed that they would give a presentation on their module within next few days to senior forest officers.
She expressed confidence over completing the project within eight months after clearance from forest department and was thankful to Narayana group GM V. Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy and the Principal Dr G. Jagadeeswar Reddy for their encouragement.
( Source : dc )
Next Story
