Nainital: In a first of its kind initiative, the Uttarakhand forest department is soon set to introduce ' super drones' which would be equipped with tranquilizing apparatus to sedate wild animals, thereby making the process of rescuing animals faster and easier. Sources in the department said that the ‘super drones’ will be put in operation within this year. They added that the drones will “help minimize risk to the life of wild animals as well as injuries to the staff involved in the rescue operation.”

Providing details, Parag Madhukar Dhakate, conservator of forests, western circle, told TOI, “The drones will be of particular help in tranquilizing leopards straying into populated areas. We are hoping that once they are put in commission, it will help us deal with such situations swiftly.”

Each ‘super drone’ unit will cost around Rs 12 lakh and include an inbuilt tranquilizing gun made of lightweight aluminium along with a high-definition camera. The unit will have a battery life of one hour while in operation and will be able to ascend to a height of around 90-100 feet, officials said. They added that the unit can achieve a speed of over 40 miles per hour. Initially, they would be deployed in two areas of Kumaon forest division.

Commenting on the initiative, Abdul Gaffar Ansari, a wildlife activist and conservationist said, “The drones if used properly will make the task of the state forest department easy. The doctors and staff often risk their life to rescue wild animals like leopards, elephants and tigers. If technology can be used to minimize the risks, it is certainly a good thing.”

Yogesh Bhardwaj, a veterinarian in Nainital zoo added, “Drones may make the tranquilizing task easy but it also depends on the kind of landscape one is going to use them. It will be easier to tranquilize the animal in plain areas but in hilly areas, it may be difficult.”

Incidentally, the Kumaon forest division had last year also deployed drones to monitor water levels in the water bodies frequented by wild animals.