Protecting Wildlife Conservators: How the Smart Stick Forester Protects Green Guards of India

In the heart of India’s dense forests, forest rangers and guards stand as the unsung heroes of wildlife conservation. These brave individuals work tirelessly to protect our rich biodiversity, often facing threats from poachers, wild animals, and the harsh realities of nature. Historically, their primary tool for protection was a simple bamboo stick, offering little in terms of defense against these dangers. However, with the advent of the Smart Stick Forester, there is a transformative shift in how these guardians of the wild are equipped for their perilous duties.

The Evolution from Bamboo Sticks to Smart Sticks

For decades, bamboo sticks were the quintessential tool for forest guards in India. Lightweight and easily accessible, these sticks provided a minimal deterrent against wildlife. However, as the threats in the forests evolved, so too did the need for more advanced protection.

Enter the Smart Stick Forester – a state-of-the-art personal protection gadget designed specifically for forest rangers. Unlike its bamboo predecessor, the Smart Stick is equipped with modern technological features aimed at enhancing the safety and effectiveness of forest guards.

Why Forest Guards in India Don’t Carry Guns

In India, the policy regarding the arming of forest guards is influenced by various factors, including legal constraints and ethical considerations. The primary reasons include the potential for misuse, the need for rigorous training, and the ethical implications of using lethal force in wildlife areas.

This decision, while rooted in careful deliberation, leaves forest guards vulnerable. The Smart Stick Forester, with its non-lethal but highly effective features, provides a much-needed alternative to enhance their safety without resorting to firearms.

The Smart Stick Forester: A Technological Marvel

The Smart Stick Forester is not just a stick; it’s a lifeline. Here’s a closer look at its key features:

Panic Alarm

In the event of an emergency, time is of the essence. The Smart Stick is equipped with a panic alarm that can be activated with a simple press of a button. This alarm emits a loud sound, alerting nearby colleagues and potentially scaring off dangerous wildlife or would-be attackers. This immediate call for help can be the difference between life and death in a critical situation.

Bright LED Lights

Navigating through dense forests, especially during nighttime patrols, can be extremely challenging and dangerous. The Smart Stick Forester includes powerful LED lights that provide bright illumination, helping rangers see their path clearly and identify any lurking dangers. This feature not only aids in navigation but also acts as a deterrent to nocturnal predators.

Electro Shock Feature (Stun Gun)

Perhaps the most crucial feature of the Smart Stick is its electro shock capability. Designed to function as a stun gun, this feature provides a non-lethal means of self-defense. In the face of an imminent threat, a forest guard can use the stun gun to deliver a high-voltage shock, incapacitating an aggressor temporarily. This can provide precious moments for the guard to escape or call for backup, significantly increasing their chances of survival.

The Importance of Safety Gadgets for Forest Guards

Equipping forest guards with advanced safety gadgets like the Smart Stick Forester is not just a technological upgrade; it is a moral imperative. These brave individuals face daily risks that most of us can only imagine. Ensuring their safety is essential for several reasons:

  1. Protection Against Wildlife Attacks: Encounters with dangerous wildlife are a routine part of a forest guard’s job. Safety gadgets can provide immediate protection and reduce the risk of fatal encounters.
  2. Deterrence of Poachers: Forest guards often confront poachers who are heavily armed and dangerous. Equipped with gadgets like the Smart Stick, guards have a better chance of defending themselves and deterring illegal activities.
  3. Enhancing Morale and Confidence: Knowing that they have reliable tools for their protection can significantly boost the morale and confidence of forest guards, enabling them to perform their duties more effectively.
  4. Preventing Loss of Life: Ultimately, these gadgets can save lives. The panic alarm can call for immediate help, the LED lights can prevent dangerous missteps in the dark, and the electro shock feature can neutralize threats without lethal force.

Adoption of the Smart Stick Forester Across India

While the adoption of such advanced technology is often slow, it is undeniably crucial. As of now, more than 1,000 forest guards in India are equipped with the Smart Stick Forester. This innovative tool is being deployed in national parks across several states, including Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Odisha, among others.

These states have recognized the value of investing in the safety of their forest rangers, understanding that a well-protected guard is more effective in conserving wildlife and protecting forest resources.

Conclusion: A Step Forward for Wildlife Conservation and Ranger Safety

The Smart Stick Forester represents a significant step forward in the ongoing effort to protect those who protect our forests. By equipping forest guards with this advanced technology, we are not only enhancing their safety but also ensuring more effective conservation efforts.

It is imperative that we continue to support the adoption of such innovative tools across India. By doing so, we honor the bravery of our forest rangers and guards, providing them with the protection they deserve as they safeguard our invaluable natural heritage.

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7 Must-Watch Wildlife Documentaries for Wildlife Enthuziasts

Check out this list of 7 must-watch wildlife documentaries that we believe will certainly fascinate the wildlife enthusiast deep within you.

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What are ‘Wildlife Corridors’ and why are they crucial?

Animals have a nature to migrate from place to place rather than stay at one place for longer durations. Such seasonal migrations are facilitated by these corridors. They are crucial for ecological balance and to avoid genetic adaptation to a specific region.

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What we all need to know about Human-Wildlife Conflict

Human-Wildlife Conflict is a multifaceted issue as it is very evident that there is suffering on both sides. On one hand we see extinction of different species and their loss of habitat while on the other we see many people losing their lives or means of livelihood.

GVM

This is what happened after the successful ANIDERS pilot project in ASSAM

Last year we were contacted by Selco Foundation regarding increasing crop raiding issues in Assam due to elephant intrusion. Assam being rich in biodiversity, has always been a zone with human wildlife conflicts. Every year at least 30-40 people in Assam lose their lives due to these conflicts and dozens of elephants are killed in retaliation. This conflict is going since decades and is increasing year after year due to decrease in forest cover.

The crop raiding problem faced by the village farmers was severe and needed urgent solution. The NGO bought 10 devices from us to do a pilot in high conflict zones. The pilot project was so successful that they placed an order of 80 devices the very next season. Extremely happy with the results, the farmers were ready to pay their share for the devices instead of just relying on the NGO for funds. The NGO and farmers had great things to say about their experience.

Quoting their feedback, “We installed ANIDERS along the river bank because elephant herds used to enter the farmlands after crossing the river. Once we installed ANIDERS, elephant herds tried to enter the farmlands, but they got scared and returned to jungle every time because of ANIDERS’s light and sound alarm.  Since the installation of this device, there has been no damage reported and the crops have been safe ever since.

Last year, farmers lost up to 4 bighas of paddy due to crop raiding by elephants.  But this year, after ANIDERS installation, his fields are not only safe, but he is also able to save Rs. 7000, which is a big deal for a small-scale farmer. On average these farmers are able to save Rs. 14,000 each.

Interestingly, ANIDERS is not only saving us from elephant intrusions but it is also protecting us from thieves. This area used to report theft during nighttime, but post ANIDERS installation, reported thefts have drastically reduced as ANIDERS triggers an alarm in case there is any intrusion detected.”

Feedbacks like these give us motivation to keep working towards our goals and make us believe that we are moving in the right direction. We, at Kyari Innovations, have took it upon ourselves to innovate more such innovative solutions to help the environment and people alike.

ANIDERS - Kyari

ELEPHANTS OF KISHANPUR, HALDWANI

A heard of Elephants was a cause of worry for the farmers of Kishanpur for past 6 months. The elephants were entering fields every night and were destroying the crops sown by the farmers. This lead to many sleepless nights for the farmers as they had to protect their fields from elephant intrusions overnight. Farmers incurred huge losses as the crop productivity declined drastically. Electric fences could be installed, but that would take months for approvals and huge installation costs would be required.

District Forest Officer of Haldwani Mr. Chandershekhar Sanwal approached us with this problem in January this year with very high hopes. It was time to prove ANIDERS’s worth in the hour of need. We quickly assembled 2 units of ANIDERS and started off for Haldwani the very next day.

As we talked to the villagers, we got to know how adverse the conditions had been the past few months. Elephants intruded there fields on daily basis and were now totally immune to the tricks that villagers once used to drive the elephants away.

After analyzing the landscape around the farms, we installed 2 units of ANIDERS, one on each pathway of elephants from where they entered the fields. As the device is easy to install and handle, we trained the villagers on how the device could be operated and fixed if needed. Range officer Mrs. Shalini Joshi and her team were really supportive throughout the process of installation.

As the devices were installed, we left for the day and waited for the night to settle in, when the movement of elephants would start.

After a week we got a call from the Pradhan of Kishanpur (Village head), he had excitement in his voice and gratitude in his words. He told us that no elephant dared to enter the field since ANIDERS’s installation. Whenever the elephants came towards the field, ANIDERS would drive them away by triggering the alarm system.

The problem that was troubling the farmers since 6 months vanished by the installation of just 2 devices. The villagers are highly satisfied by the results and wish to buy more units to secure the complete from wild animal’s intrusions.

The results were astonishing and this news spread quite fast. Local dailies covered this incident and wrote articles of triumph about ANIDERS. Amar Ujala, a leading newspaper daily in India, came forward and put down the story behind ANIDERS.

Kerala Elephant news

WHAT HAPPENED IN KERALA WILL HAPPEN AGAIN, READ TO KNOW WHY

While the whole nation is mourning over the gruesome killing of an innocent elephant and her unborn child, there is a key information that we all are missing out in this whole incident. It’s the fact that the elephant ate a pineapple stuffed with cracker. Some source say that the pineapple was fed to her by locals, others say that she mistakenly ate it as it was kept as a bait for the wild boars. Either ways, we cannot ignore the fact that such pineapples filled with firecrackers are regularly used by locals as bait to lure animals and kill them in order to take revenge from them for crop destruction. These innocent wild animals intrude in the farmlands of locals in search of food and fall prey to such heinous traps.

Since ages these practices are being followed by locals everywhere. Wild animals have been a subject of torment in one way or the other and all this is because there is no way for the farmers to protect their farmlands from such wild animals.

Electric fencing hardly ever protects a farm, walls cannot be created everywhere, trenches cannot be dug everywhere, and humans cannot physically guard their fields all the time. These failures to protect crop has led to the use of such deadly practices by farmers. Farmers are also desperate because their lively hood depends on these crops. A solution is needed that can protect the crops while ensuring the safety of wild animals. And there is a solution. ANIDERS- Animal Intrusion Detection and Repellent System.

This device when installed in the periphery of a farmland senses the approaching wild animal and triggers a light and sound alarm. As soon as the wild animal hears the alarm, they quickly run away from the fields. This device uses the element of surprise to scare the animal away without physically inflicting any harm on the animal. Since this device works on infrared sensing, there is no need to create physical barriers like fences, walls or trenches. This practice is ensuring that animal corridors stay protected.

Not only pan India, this device is saving animal lives and protecting the farms across globe – Africa, Malaysia, Bhutan. Organizations like WWF India, WII, IUCN, Elephant without Borders and UNDP have been installing ANIDERS Pan India on smaller scales. Forest departments of states like Uttarakhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are proactively installing this device in their problem regions.

When the solution is there, then why is there still a delay to implement it?

It’s the right time when such innovations should be given a chance to showcase their potential. The world is looking at us, how we deal with such crisis is what matters the most. Old ways must be replaced by new tech solutions. Government and farmers have to trust such technologies because they are the future.

Saving the wildlife is the need of the hour. Each animal death is adding up to the impact that would be seen few years from now. We can save this from happening by being proactive TODAY.

How ANIDERS can effectively work to protect farmlands from animal intrusions without inflicting any harm on the wildlife