Startup's Innovation Keeps Animals Away From Farms Without Hurting Them; Raised 1.5 Cr in Funding

Did you know that in India, as per The Week, between 2018 and 2020, about 1,401 humans and 301 elephants were killed due to conflicts​?

In Maharashtra alone, tiger attacks caused 86 deaths in 2021 and 105 in 2022​. While these might seem like mere numbers, animal conflict is a rising concern among farmers. 

Human-animal conflict has been a lingering issue for decades. Human encroachment on forest land has been a rising trend leaving animals astray. The result of this is increased animal activity in human settlements. The ones paying the most for this are farmers and landowners living around the fringes. 

While the question of who-is-endangering-and-encroaching-on-whose-space prevails, farmers in regions like Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat face heavy losses due to animal encroachment. 

While innovations to keep animals at bay have been developed by companies all across the country, there are a few who aim at scaring the animals away without the intention of hurting them.  

“Katidhan aims to help farmers mitigate their losses while keeping the animals at a distance. We study their movements and use technology to scare the animals from human settlements,” S R Ayan, the founder of the Bengaluru-based startup, shares in a conversation with The Better India.

Katidhan helps farmers reduce wildlife-related losses with their innovative products aimed at a harmless resolution of such conflicts. The startup was also featured on a Shark Tank episode in season 3, bagging a deal of Rs 1.5 crore. 

Innovations that do not harm the animals    

Hailing from Bengaluru, Ayan is a robotics engineer who worked on building consumer robots. “I was working in the city when a friend highlighted the issue of human-wildlife conflict. He explained how this issue exists and has been resulting in losses, and I was quite taken aback,” he says. 

On further research, Ayan realised the depth of the issue and how it is prevalent in most states in India. 

“In a bid to protect their fields, farmers would resort to things like electric fencing which could potentially hurt the animals,” he notes. 

The engineer’s brain got into problem-solving mode and the idea of Katidhan was born. “The area needed more solutions that did not harm the animals. I was looking for newer projects to work on and this felt like a perfect opportunity,” he says. 

So Ayan set out to find a solution and collected a small team of scientists and engineers to develop an animal-friendly resolution. “The more I spoke to the farmers in different regions during the initial stages of the project, the more I realised how small-scale farmers suffer more due to animal attacks. They sometimes lose more than 15 percent of their crop due to animal attacks,” he says. 

He adds, “I really empathise with their situation and wanted to help them and save the animals from cruel devices too. I could see that the industry was starving for innovations and I thus laid the foundation of Katidhan,” he says. 

The products

Citing that all their products are non-invasive, Ayan explains, “Our products are non-invasive and designed to deter animals without causing any physical harm. They work by altering behavioural patterns to scare the animals away. This is crucial because current methods, like electric fences, can harm animals and even unsuspecting farmers.” 

They offer two versions of their deterrent technology.

“One of our main products is a solar-powered auto light, effective against various wild animals such as elephants, wild boars, and tigers. It is called Parabraksh. This product operates automatically, flashing in different patterns throughout the night, creating the illusion of another animal in the area, which deters these animals from entering the fields,” he says. 

It is a solar-powered autonomous light solution.

“It operates automatically, switching on at sunset and flashing in various patterns throughout the night,” he explains. 

He adds, “The LED light itself isn't inherently threatening. It's the way the system is designed to be perceived by the animals that makes it effective.”

Another significant product that the company offers is the bioplastic scare system, which they call Kaapikat.

“It uses sensors to detect motion and plays different animal sounds to keep them away, particularly focusing on monkeys. However, monkeys are very smart and their behaviour varies by region, so we only sell this product selectively and encourage farmers to test it in their area before making a larger purchase,” he explains.

They also offer customised solutions combining light and sound deterrents for specific needs. “This flexibility allows us to cater to different types of wildlife and their unique behaviours,” he says.

‘2000+ farmers benefitted’ 

Talking about the challenges that they faced initially, Ayan recalls, “Our team consists of 4 to 5 dedicated members, and it took us about two-and-a-half years to develop these products.” 

“Understanding the behaviour of different animals and how it changes with the seasons was crucial. For instance, elephants and wild boars behave differently in the winter compared to the summer. We conduct pilots for a minimum of 2 to 3 months to ensure the effectiveness of our products over different seasons,” he adds.

One of the most significant challenges that he faced was a lack of information among the farmers.

“The farmers found it difficult to understand how a simple light could deter animals when they were experiencing significant problems with wildlife. To address this, we conducted numerous demonstrations and partnered with organisations and farmer-produce organisations,” he says.

Ayan ran pilots for 3-6 months in various areas, allowing farmers to see the effectiveness of their solutions firsthand.

“This hands-on experience helped them trust and adopt the technology. Additionally, there was a general lack of awareness among farmers and villagers about non-invasive methods to deal with wildlife. Many were inclined to use harmful methods to protect their crops,” he adds. 

“Introducing them to new, humane technologies required significant effort in education and demonstration to show that these solutions could be effective without causing harm to the animals.” 

Suresh Majhi, who is a farmer from Bandhuabeda in Odisha, owns a small farm where he grows mangoes, cashews and aamla (gooseberries). 

“Alternatively, I also grow vegetables. The area is prone to a lot of elephant infiltrations and I was struggling to keep my farm safe. I heard about the device Parabraksh and spent some money on installing it. It was a great decision because the technology has not only scared the animals away but also helped me increase my income. Since the installation, my income has increased by Rs 80,000 due to reduced loss of crop,” he shares. 

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So far, the company has reached and collaborated with more than 2,000 farmers across the country including in states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.

Farmers interested in installing these devices can reach out to Ayan here.

(Edited by Padmashree Pande; All images credit: Ayan)