CCTV cameras to catch poachers in Odisha forest

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is planning to install CCTV cameras in forest divisions to keep a tab on the hunters and poachers, forest department officials said. “CCTV cameras would be installed in forest divisions as part of protective measures,” said secretary of Forest and Environment Department RK Sharma. [caption id=“attachment_1744151” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Guarding against poachers. AFP [/caption] Though such facilities are already in place in two tiger reserves like Similipal and Satkosia for enumeration of big cat population, CCTV cameras would now be used in vulnerable pockets to identify poachers and hunters. While CCTV cameras are fixed in Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, such systems need to extended to other places to provide a better protection to the wild animals. The department, which is worried over large scale elephant poaching in the state, has apparently identified Sambalpur wild life division for installation of CCTV cameras. At least 378 elephants have died in Odisha between 2009-10 and 2014-15. During this period, at least 35 elephants have fallen prey to poaching while another 17 have died of poisoning. Besides, as many as 60 elephants have died of electrocution during last five years. Of the 60, as many as 33 cases are of deliberate electrocution which take place in retaliation to crop raiding and house damage by the jumbos. PCCF JD Sharma said, the CCTV cameras would be put on tress secretly which could help in preventing animal poaching inside the forests. PTI