Monsoon Challenge: Weather Tests Resilience Of Cheetah Monitoring System In Kuno National Park
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The monsoon is putting the Cheetah Project's monitoring system to the test, with heavy rainfall and dense cloud cover disrupting communication and making it harder for field teams to track radio-collared cheetahs. The monitoring system encompasses technology, equipment, vehicles and communication networks, as well as the personnel operating in the field. This has been…
The monsoon is testing the resilience of the Cheetah Project's monitoring system in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. Heavy rainfall and dense cloud cover are disrupting communication, making it difficult for field teams to track radio-collared cheetahs. The monitoring system includes technology, equipment, vehicles, and communication networks, as well as personnel operating in the field.
The 30 radio-collared cheetahs are monitored via satellite-cum-radio collars, but during heavy rainfall and dense cloud cover, satellite and radio communications may be delayed or lost, creating gaps in location data. This makes ground-based tracking and field verification more challenging. Despite the difficult weather, field teams must continue operating, protecting equipment from rainwater and maintaining vehicles and power supplies.
Of the 30 radio-collared cheetahs, 12 are in fenced natural forest areas with mothers and cubs, while 18 are free-ranging across a landscape spanning six districts. The scale and intensity of this monitoring operation are extraordinary, with no parallel anywhere in the world for such a large number of animals being subjected to continuous field monitoring.
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