- NET Web Desk
A device has been developed to track and locate missing mithuns (bros frontalis) – a significant bovine species, found in Arunachal Pradesh.
This ‘Mithun tracking collar’ uses mobile phones to track and locate the precise location of mithuns, in the dense woodlands of the region.
It has been developed by the disease investigation officer – Jikam Panor at Aalo in West Siang district and a mithun rearer hailing from Siang district – Tadang Tamut.
This waterproof, fireproof and unbreakable device, is basically the combination of a collar and GSM track pad, which must be charged before utilization. A full charged pad is expected to last around three years on an average use.
The trial of the device took place on Sunday at Jomlo Mongku hamlet in Arunachal’s Siang district, where it displayed the real-time location of mithuns.
According to Panor, this device will soon be introduced in the market.
Missing mithuns have been a serious concern for farmers and animal rearers, occasionally leading to problems like crop raiding, ownership disputes, theft, and even veterinary health care issues.
The issue is made worse by the fact that the animal is valued by all the indigenous communities of Arunachal Pradesh, and is considered as an essential component of tribal traditions and customs.
A few years ago Panor had also introduced implanting of microchips on mithuns which had solved their ownership dispute. “This is the first time that a device has been developed which showed good results,” – informed a senior official of the state Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services (AH&VS) Department.
