ATR to use advanced technology for field patrolling

Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh), Feb 5

For the first time, the Amangarh Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Uttar Pradesh will use advanced technology for effective field patrolling, assessing ecological status and mitigating human-wildlife conflict in and around the reserve to bridge the gap of essential technology and logistic support.

The ATR will use the new technology with the help of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Dr Mudit Gupta, regional coordinator of WWF, said, "The ATR started using the M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tiger: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) technology under expert training by WWF's Pilibhit office. The M-STrIPES program was launched using GPS, GPRS and remote sensing to collect information from the field and create a database."

Arun Kumar Singh, divisional forest officer (DFO) of ATR, explained, "The logistic support extended by WWF evolved new dimensions of ecological analysis apart from intensifying strategies of wildlife protection."

"So far, we have provided 15 android mobile phones, 8 compasses, 12 bicycles, 35 winter jackets, and 15 mosquito nets to the patrolling staff of ATR," said the WWF official.

Notably, ATR falls under the jurisdiction of Uttar Pradesh, and is frequented by 20 tigers from the Corbett tiger reserve of Uttarakhand.

--IANS