Recognising the lack of technological tools to track wildlife crimes in India, the duo founded ‘Leopard Tech Labs’ in 2017. Their mission was to develop efficient, innovative solutions for combating wildlife crime.
Their journey began when they joined the Wildlife Trust of India as consultants, which led to a collaboration with the Kerala Forest Department.
HAWK is an offence management system that handles case management, court monitoring, and wildlife death tracking. Previously, these processes were conducted manually.
Higher authorities can monitor cases at every level — from the field to the courtroom. This digital approach simplifies case reviews, ensuring timely monitoring and justice delivery.
Allen and Sobin’s company has partnered with NGOs and government agencies, including IUCN, IFaw, WTI, and the Kerala Forest Department. They also collaborate with tiger reserves like Mudumalai, Periyar, and Parambikulam to gather and analyse wildlife crimes and fatalities.
In addition to HAWK, Leopard Tech Labs has developed several other products, including SARPA (Snake Awareness, Rescue, and Protection App), Jumbo Radar (a tool to monitor elephants), and WildWatch (a human-wildlife conflict mitigation system).
One of the key features of their systems is the ability to track human-wildlife conflicts. By generating heat maps and analysing data over several years, the team can predict time periods when conflicts are most likely to occur.
“This information allows for targeted interventions, such as advising villagers to relocate or alter crop cultivation practices, thereby mitigating conflicts and promoting coexistence,” says Allen.
Leopard Tech Labs continues to innovate and expand, with its technologies already helping combat wildlife crimes in eight countries.