Date: September 12, 2024
Location: Baikanthapur Forest Division
As part of ongoing efforts to support human-elephant conflict mitigation, the Nature and Wildlife Association (NWA) has distributed 44 searchlights to Quick Response Teams (QRTs) and frontline forest staff across key conflict-prone areas of the Baikanthapur Forest Division.
Beneficiaries include QRTs from:
- Kathambari
- Malhati
- Kailashpur
- Magurmari
- Barogharia
- Shologharia
And forest staff from:
- Apalchand Range HQ Beat
- Fuljhora Beat
- Malhati Beat
These searchlights serve as soft mitigation tools, intended to support crop protection duties and assist with managing elephant movement during night shifts—particularly important during the paddy harvest season, when incidents of crop raiding tend to rise.

The QRT members, along with forest staff, will use these tools for night patrolling, alerting communities, and facilitating timely communication between villagers and the Forest Department. Their role remains vital in ensuring early response, awareness creation, and reduction of human-wildlife conflict in the region.
This initiative strengthens community-forest coordination and enhances the preparedness of field teams for effective conflict resolution.