Drone surveillance at Singanallur lake to check poaching

The drone flew over the water body covering its length and breadth, but no suspicious activity was recorded. “The lake has been divided by a railway track and it’s difficult to cover upto the tail end of the water body for monitoring. Hence, drone assisted monitoring will be taken up on regular intervals in the lake,” said a forest department staff.

The forest department took the aid of technology in the wake of the frequent incidents of poaching being reported in the forest fringes during the ongoing lockdown period. Mostly, wild boars were targeted by the poachers for its meat.

Birders frequenting the lake often report incidents of fishing, which has been banned in the biodiversity conservation zone. “There have also been incidents of hunting of birds including pelicans and painted stork visiting the lake. A month ago, a mongoose, which was trapped in a snare was rescued, while another one died,” said an environmentalist.