Radio collars to monitor sloth bears in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Karnataka’s endangered tusk-tailed animals are being fitted with radio collars as part of a five-year project to track their movements and prevent conflicts with humans. ONG Wildlife SOS has started a project and the forest department has helped in installing GPS devices. To date, new endangered species have been radio-collared, the most recent of which is a male in the endangered species sanctuary of Gudekote in Ballari district. ONG said it aims to understand the movements of these endangered species in Ballari, Koppal and Tumakuru districts. He said to identify the factors contributing to conflict between humans and predators, also study the population status and distribution of predators. Arun A Shaw, Wildlife SOS’s director of investigative and veterinary operations, said the project will generate habitat and species-specific management recommendations for the many species that co-exist and share the habitats of endangered species.