How about recording alarm, distress and predator calls of animals and birds, and playing them back to keep beasts away and save the crops?
Chasing wild animals from farms is getting craftier and man appears to be attempting to beat the beasts at their own game. This is what emerged on the final day of a three-day farm machinery fair here on Monday.
“We have done it,” said Mahesh S.S., Chief Executive Officer, Grus Ecosciences, Bengaluru, who is also a member of an expert panel for birds — the National Bird Control Committee, under the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. His group has developed devices that produce natural calls of animals and birds. One of them keeps away three species of monkeys and squirrels, wild boar, elephant, three spotted deer, sambar, fruit bats, rabbit and neelgai at bay. He told The Hindu that the group was developing another device to keep away bison and bear.
When beasts and birds hear the alarm — especially distress and predator calls — they sense trouble and stay away. What matters is the regional sound as you cannot get a foreign-made equipment and play it here, he said. “It is like me speaking to you in German,” he said.
Mr. Mahesh said 70 species of birds, and eight species of animals obstruct aircraft. His group has developed devices to keep away birds also.
P.S. Bhat Upponi, a farmer and researcher from Honnavar said an agro burglar siren made by Milk-C Technologies, Shivamogga, had helped him keep away wild animals, barring the porcupine. Bharat Kumar Shetty of the agency, which made the siren, said a device to keep monkeys away could be ready soon.
Nilesh Prabhu Velguenkar, a farmer from Goa, said a gadget that irritates monkeys had helped him.
