Coimbatore Forest Division starts using live wire detectors to trace illegal fencing, animal traps
So far, the Department has been conducting joint inspections in coordination with the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation (TNPDCL) once in every 15 days to identify illegal electric fences, sagging power lines and live wire traps, which pose threats to wild animals as well as humans.
Sources said that WWF-India gave 11 live wire detectors to the Forest Department in April this year in Coimbatore, in the presence of Supriya Sahu, Secretary of Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department, and top officials.
N. Jayaraj, District Forest Officer, Coimbatore, said two live wire detectors allotted to the Coimbatore division were being used for inspections.
'The device helps the staff detect live wires from a safe distance during patrols and during the joint inspectors with TNPDCL. It can also be used to check electric fences, whether they are having AC or DC power supply,' he said.
Upon noticing live wire traps or AC-powered electric fences during routine patrols, the Department will alert the TNPDCL to initiate further actions.
Electric fences are largely being used to prevent wild elephants from entering farm lands and other properties in villages that share boundaries with forests. Use of live wire traps to poach animals like wild boar and deer had also been reported in the division in the past.
As per the Tamil Nadu Power Fences (Registration and Regulation) Rules 2023, AC power should not be connected directly to the fencing cables as getting in contact with them can be fatal to humans and animals. The rule states that battery-powered energiser of the prescribed standards, which generates DC power, should be the power source.
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