hackproject.org — Animal Warning System — {August, 2016}
Human animal conflict is a major problem in all National Parks of Nepal where people’s homes, fields and villages have encroached upon the park boundaries. As the feeding spaces for animals become less they begin to come into fields and homes for food. Many times this leads to destruction of crops, homes and even taking of lives on both sides. This problem is very visible in the Bardiya National Park, located in the far west region of Nepal where exist one of the largest herds of resident wild elephants, the endangered black bucks and the Asiatic one horned rhinos.
As Krishna Choudhary, a safari worker in Bardiya, explains animals come into fields and villages during the day or night. During the day noticing them and chasing them is simple enough, but during the night it becomes a big problem. Elephants come and breakdown houses too when people are sleeping inside.
For thousands like Krishna, who live on the boundary of Bardiya National Park, this poses two problems — one of tracking the animal movements specially near the villages and the second of warning them when herds enter the villages. Then additional issue is that of warding off the herds — specially elephants as they cannot be chased away easily.
Current method rely on people noticing the animals nearby the villages and people chasing with sticks and shouts. When elephants come in most times people just need to wait for them to pass, many times leaving destruction.
Krishna feels that if simple and reliable methods could be deviced then that would make the lives of both humans as well as animals a lot better. If cheap technology could be used then there could be methods to warn others as well as be safer in their own homes.
Technology to track animals, warn people and ward them off could be developed in a simple, reliable and cheap way then this could be a boon for both.
Millions of people live on the borders of National Parks where conflicts occur each day and night. If technology to track animals, warn people and ward them off could be developed in a simple, reliable and cheap way then this could be a boon for both. Based on these needs, design integrated or separate technologies that would help millions like Krishna and importantly save animals for the future of this world.
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