When Tigers aren’t aware…

Tigers are one of the endangered species on the planet at present. One of the main reasons of their incessant decrease in number is deforestation, which results destruction of their habitat as well as hunting grounds.

Recently there have been many private as well as government initiatives to save the species. But nobody can deny the fact that we can assist in the conservation of the species in the best manner possible, if we are able to comprehend the intrinsic characteristics of the life-styles of these giant cats - rearing of cubs, mother teaching them about identifying dangers, hunting et cetera.

Of course, we have a wildlife photographers and documentary-makers to give us a view into the private lives of the tigers. But, they have their own limitations as they can’t venture out into the suburbs of the tigers due to danger.

To overcome this enigma, a new technology has brought quite a revolution in wildlife-documentary making. Some very special cameras have been introduced recently, that merge in the environment of the tigers and they become quite comfortable with this intruder. One such camera has been shown in Figure 1. You can observe its similarities to a bark of a tree. When near the tigers, it starts recording the moment there is some motion in front of it. Using this technology, we have come to know such characteristics of a tiger’s life which were unheard of previously. In the process, we have come to know of facts that relate the existence of tigers with that of the other species.

The cameras are introduced into the environment by the trained elephants (ridden by the elephant trainers). They place various cameras at different locations, where the tigers are usually found. The camera has well-built wheels to follow tigers around (it does take advantage of the limitations of intelligence of a tiger).

It’s quite good to see the new technology helping out in the conservation rather than the destruction of nature.