In this blog, we have partnered with the Sariska Tiger Reserve in India who regularly use drones in their conservation management and research. Nilesh Singh, who is a drone pilot at the reserve, has very kindly created a post for us to give us an insight into the amazing drone work that he and the team at Sariska Tiger Reserve are undertaking.
Stunning tigress (St9)- Photo credits: Dr. Priyansha Singh
Sariska Tiger Reserve
Sariska Tiger Reserve's aims are focused around maintaining a viable population of national heritage tigers in the reserve and the wider country. The team at the reserve put all of their efforts in to providing a sustainable future for these tigers and ensuring their conservation as they hold such great scientific, ecological and cultural value.
Location of Sariska Tiger Reserve, India. Google Maps 2021
Ongoing projects at the reserve
Wildlife surveillance
Anti-poaching and illegal activity monitoring
Tiger monitoring
Village relocation and emergency situation control
The threats tigers are facing in this area of India
The loss of natural habitat due to the illegal collection of forest produce by local villagers, as traditionally they depend upon these natural resources.
Poaching- tigers are always under threat from poachers as every single body part of a tiger can be traded illegally in the black market in the name of traditional Asian medicine.
How Sariska Tiger Reserve utilises drones
The team at the reserve started using drones back in 2018, to aid their conservation efforts that work to minimise threats to their tigers.
Drones are being used throughout their projects. Specifically, drones are being utilised within tracking tiger movement, planning maps for village relocations due to conflict, aerial videography, and other wildlife and flora monitoring.
The team have had some amazing successes recently from their drone work, such as locating tigers that couldn’t be found through on-the-ground methods, and their village relocation efforts where the drone has proven invaluable.
Drone pilot Nilesh Singh (left) and camera surveillance team member Keval Saini (right) with their wildlife drone set-up- Photo credits: Tarun Saini
Drone in flight, ready for vegetation distribution monitoring
To take a further look at Sariska Tiger Reserve and the surrounding national park- here's their website! https://www.sariskanationalpark.com/tigers.htm