To monitor poachers, TN Forest Dept installs 50 camera traps in tiger reserve

Chennai, Sept 25 (IANS) In an effort to monitor the movement of poachers, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has installed 50 camera traps in the Mukurthi, Nilakottai and Thepekkadu forest ranges that come under the Madumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).

The camera traps are installed to monitor the movement of people within the forest range and to ascertain whether poaching was taking place.

The Department has not made public the locations of the camera traps which are camouflaged within the forest ranges.

Sources in the MTR told IANS that the cameras are connected with GPS and the battery life of each camera is only 20 days.

After the completion of 20 days, the Department will remove the chips from the traps and hand it over to the Deputy Director’s Office at MTR.

The sources told IANS that the Department has already deputed around 45 anti-poaching wardens and beat forest officers to monitor the areas physically.

The development comes following the death of 10 tigers, including cubs, in the Nilgiri forest range in a span of 34 days.

Among the dead tigers, a male big cat was poisoned to death by a farmer whose cow was killed by the carnivore.