At present, details are kept manually; digitisation will make record-keeping easier
Naresh S
Panaji: The Forest Department is working on a mobile application to streamline snake rescue requests by connecting people who encounter snakes with the nearest available rescuer, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Kamal Datta has said.
“The application has been developed but is currently facing technical issues and is yet to be made available to the public,” Datta said.
Once operational, the department plans to make the application available free through the Google Play Store. A person encountering a snake would be able to photograph it through the application and upload the image to a central server, which would alert the nearest snake rescuer to respond to the location.
The rescuer would then be required to photograph the snake after the rescue and record that it had been released in the wild. This would allow the department to maintain a digital record of snake rescues instead of relying entirely on physical records.
“The app has a digital record, a snake registry sort of thing,” Datta said, explaining that the system would record where snakes were rescued and where they were released. The application would also help the department monitor its network of rescuers. Datta said such information is currently maintained manually and digitisation would make record-keeping easier.
Goa currently relies on departmental personnel and trained private rescuers to respond to snake-related calls. “The Forest Department’s control-room system connects callers with rescuers operating in the relevant area,” Datta said.
He said trained private rescuers were necessary because the department could not maintain a sufficiently large workforce to respond to every wildlife rescue call across the state. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests said the department is strengthening the training of snake rescuers. Rescuers have undergone training in Pune, with the department assessing their capabilities and planning further levels of training.
The department is also seeking to improve rescuers’ ability to provide initial assistance to injured animals before they are transported to a veterinary facility, he said.
