Chennai to soon get mobile app to report snake, wildlife sightings

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is planning to set up a dedicated mobile application that will allow the public to report snake or other wildlife sightings and request immediate rescue assistance. File.
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu

Soon, if you spot a snake or encounter any wildlife in distress in Chennai, help will be just a click away.

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is planning to set up a dedicated mobile application that will allow the public to report sightings and request immediate rescue assistance. This is to streamline what has, so far been, a largely manual process.

Chennai sees around 20 calls every day for snake rescues, and the numbers rise significantly during monsoon and summer. Though many snakes are spotted across the city, only four species are venomous.

To address these incidents efficiently, the Forest Department has already established a robust network of trained snake rescuers. The proposed app aims at taking this initiative further by standardising response mechanisms and making them more accessible to the public.

Consultation meeting

In a recent consultation meeting held in Chennai, nearly 20 snake rescuers and representatives from various non-governmental organisations came together to discuss the challenges and needs on the ground. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) Srinivas Reddy and Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra, who gathered feedback from the stakeholders to decide on the course of the app, attended the session.

Though not directly modelled on it, the app is conceptually similar to the SARPA, a mobile platform used in Kerala for coordinating snake rescues. Manish Meena, Wildlife Warden, Chennai, said that the meeting was held to formalise rescue and relief operations with insights from the persons working on ground.

Gnaneswar Ch, project lead at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust said that all the snake rescuers agreed the application would be useful and shared their suggestions.

According to officials, the app will undergo a trial phase as a six-month pilot project.

In June, it is planned to provide formal training to rescuers and implement standard operating guidelines to ensure a uniform response across all cases. If successful, the initiative will be gradually expanded to other districts in Tamil Nadu.