A pilotless aircraft will keep a vigil on the Kaziranga National Park where animals are in disarray after a large part of the world famous sanctuary was flooded, and also to help deal with poaching.
The Secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Mr Rajesh Gopal, said here on Tuesday that the step had been taken after a team of the authority, which would fund the project, conducted an aerial survey last week and found that the situation was critical with nearly the entire park flooded.
“We hope that this use of a pilotless aircraft will help tackle both flooding and poaching in and around the World Heritage Site Park,” Mr Gopal said.
NTCA will fund the project with the help of the Assam Forest Department and it will be executed by Wildlife Institute of India.
The remote-controlled aircraft, which can fly over the park continuously for four hours, is soundless, pollution-free and will carry sophisticated, high-power and high-range cameras.
Another team of experts will arrive here from New Delhi within a day or two for detailed survey and study.