Forest Staff Face Shortage of SD Cards to Track Tigers

 Adilabad: With the number of tigers and their movement increasing, field staff working in the forests are facing a shortage of SD (secure digital) cards. These cards are part of the camera traps that take the snaps and record movement of tigers in a specific area.

Animal trackers say the SD cards are getting damaged frequently, as the camera traps remain in position during rains, hot summer, and winter conditions when there is considerable moisture in the weather.

The camera traps are also damaged by miscreants like poachers to erase their movement in the forest.

Forest personnel in Adilabad say they require more SD cards as the movement of tigers into Telangana has increased this year from the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve and Tipeshwar Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra.

With their population increasing in these reserves, tigers are crossing River Godavari and moving into northern Telangana areas like Siddipet, Mulugu, Bhupalapalli, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Jagtial, and Kamareddy.

The season being winter, which is their breeding season, tigers migrate over long distances looking for mates. Some tigers that move into Telangana are those who have been into territorial fights. The losers move out looking for their own territory.

On condition of anonymity, a Forest Range Officer (FRO) said they are badly in need of SD cards for use in the camera traps to track the tiger movements on a regular basis in the deep forests and on fringes.

Pointing to weather being a key reason for damage of SD cards, he said it would be good if the Forest department supplies more SD cards, so that data could be preserved more efficiently.

Supply of drones would make tracking of tigers more effective, which could also be used against smugglers, he pointed out.

Another officer said that SD cards falling short is a good sign, indicating that camera traps need to be placed more extensively due to increase in the number of tigers and their movement.

Animal trackers are also feeling the need for emergency and safety kits, apart from batteries, torch lights, and tools to protect themselves from the wild animals in an emergency. Further, they need materials to set up camps in the forests while closely monitoring the movement of the tigers round the clock. In addition, they need such material to upload updates of information about tiger movements from districts to the Tiger Protection Cell, which has recently been set up in Hyderabad.