Wokha: A Wokha Forest Division team has used a thermal drone to locate a herd of an estimated 8–10 wild elephants near agricultural fields in Seluku village, marking the first recorded thermal drone imagery of wild elephants in Nagaland, according to the Forest Department.
The drone was deployed on the night of October 5 following reports of elephants near the village’s agricultural fields. The team located the herd in forest adjoining Seluku and subsequently informed village authorities so residents could exercise caution while accessing their fields. The Village Council of Koio was also alerted.
The team was led by Range Forest Officer Lansothung Lotha, along with Forest Guard Bibenthung Ngullie and community members Mhaden E Odyuo and W Nchumbemo Kikon.
After inspecting the forest and field edges on foot, the team flew the thermal drone over the forest canopy. The elephants’ body heat was visible despite dense vegetation and darkness. The herd size was estimated based on the thermal scan and field observations.
The Forest Department said thermal monitoring would provide an additional tool to locate elephants under forest cover and track their movements, allowing communities to be alerted and potential human-elephant conflict areas identified in advance.
The drone was flown at a safe height to avoid disturbing the animals. The department said thermal drones would be used as a supplementary tool for locating elephants at night and in poor visibility and supporting early warning and rapid response.
The department is also training frontline staff in drone operations so that the technology can be extended to other conflict-prone areas.
The exercise was undertaken under the Forest & Biodiversity Management in the Himalaya (Nagaland) Project, supported by KfW, which aims to strengthen monitoring of elephant movement, provide timely alerts and reduce human-elephant conflict.
The Forest Department advised residents not to approach, chase or provoke elephants and to avoid moving alone in agricultural fields at dusk or night when elephants are reported nearby.
Residents have also been advised to report elephant sightings to the Wildlife Control Room at 1800-2020-878 or the nearest forest office.
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