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conferenceseries.com
Volume 7, Issue 1 (Suppl) J Ecosyst Ecogr
ISSN: 2157-7625 JEE, an open access journal Biodiversity Congress 2017
April 27-28, 2017
April 27-28, 2017 Dubai, UAE
6th International Conference on
Biodiversity and Conservation
J Ecosyst Ecogr 2017, 7:1(Suppl)
Innovative way to handle wildlife rescue which aims for zero casualties during rescue operations: Wildlife
Rescue Bike
Madhurita Gupta
Myvets Charitable Trust & Research Centre, India
C onflict between wildlife and humans are increasing globally with the habitat destruction and the increase in the population of
tigers, elephants and leopards in India. With the aim to develop a technology for safe handling of wildlife – human conflicts
and safe patrolling in the wilderness, Myvets Charitable Trust & Research Centre developed “Wildlife Rescue Bike”. In most of the
reported cases of leopard rescue during conflicts, majority of forest officials gets injured and there are incidences wherein villagers
also got injuried during the rescue operation while going near the leopards; as conflict creates fear in the mind of people and they
counter-react by beating the wildlife to death or by killing them directly. New technologies will revolutionize the way we handle the
wildlife–human conflicts and wildlife conservation, it can be used as a effective and powerful tool for wildlife conflicts mitigation
worldwide. The device has been used in India in wildlife terrain and is very effective to provide safety to the forest officials & wildlife
veterinarians during the leopard – human conflicts, night patrolling and during tranquilization of wild leopards & tigers for rescue.
Key Features of this Wildlife Rescue Bike are: 1. Close monitoring, patrolling & surveillance of wildlife in protected areas; 2. Provides
complete cover during wildlife rescue operations; 3. The Wildlife Rescue Bike will give 360 degree panoramic view for darting; 4. It
comes with blow gun, tranquilization equipments, dart guns, ropes, stick, binoculars, anti-venom & first aid kits; 5. Contemporary
& dynamic design; 6. The bike is covered from all the sides with iron-net to ensure the protection of forest guard from the attack of
wild animal; 7. The front-handle wheel gap is further protected from inside with additional iron-net and horizontal rods, so that the
wild animal cannot enter from front wheel gap; 8. The main frame is attached to bike guard and supported with additional vertical-
adjustable stands, which can neutralize the force of wild animal attack, and the bike will not topple down; 9. The wildlife veterinarian
can dart the animal from all sides, with minimum adjustment; 10. The ground clearance is 200 mm; 11. The Wildlife Rescue Bike is
also provided with the LED lights at four sides, so that during patrolling in night they can keep watch from all angles; 12. The frame
has a provision for keeping the rescue operation equipments’ viz. water bottles, dart gun, blow pipe, ropes, medicine bag, sticks, etc.;
13. The Wildlife Rescue Bike has a provision to cover with the forest landscape print, which will camouflage with the surrounding.
These will reduce the stress on the animal during rescue operation as well as it will reduce the chance of counter attack of leopard on
bike during the operation.
Effects of dispersal and density of leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) on severity of conflict around Gir PA,
Gujarat, western India
Nazneen Zehra, Jamal A Khan and Usham S Shoriya
Aligarh Muslim University, India
Common leopard (Panthera pardus fusca, Mayer) is at global dislike, principally due to conflict with humans at the boundary
of the most of the parks. Opportunistically, high density and long dispersals of leopards may contribute significantly to draw
them towards periphery specifically where they co-exist with other sympatric competitor. A long term history of leopard
human conflict cases was obtained from the forest department (WDS, Gir), and was maintained on complaints of villagers regarding
leopard problems at the boundary of the Gir PA. The conflict status was analyzed and resulted with consistent increase in numbers
ranged from 4 during 2000 to 200 during 2012. Leopard density was estimated as an avg. 3.47±0.28 individuals/100 km2 along with
high occupancy rate 0.915±0.024 respectively using mark-recapture matrix. The movement and ranging pattern of radio-collared
leopardess was recorded ca.11 kms in each dispersal effort during 2002 to 2005 towards human vicinity and finally established home
range of ca. 70 km2 in agro-farm at the coastal site. As the leopard is a least studied and most problematic large carnivore out-side
protected areas, its conflict resolution strategy would be more successful with the information on the abundance, preferable home
range size & movement pattern respectively.