With modernisation and a rising population, the divide between civilisation and the wild is becoming increasingly blurred. As humans continue to encroach upon wildlife habitats, human-animal conflicts have surged globally.

In the midst of escalating wildlife crimes, two tech enthusiasts from Kerala, Allen Shaji and Sobin Mathew, decided to take action.

Drawing on their technological expertise and passion for conservation, they embarked on a mission to combat wildlife crimes through innovative digital solutions.

Allen and Sobin met while studying at Amalguri College of Engineering. After graduating in 2016, Allen was uncertain about following the conventional career path.

A conversation with conservationists inspired him to merge his tech skills with wildlife conservation. “I realised there was a significant gap in the market,” Allen says.

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.

This partnership resulted in the creation of HAWK (Hostile Activity Watch Kernel), a digital platform designed to replace paper-based documentation.

HAWK streamlined wildlife crime tracking, offering a faster and more efficient solution. Their first project, Mapper, undertaken in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India, became a springboard for their future conservation efforts.

HAWK is an offence management system that handles case management, court monitoring, and wildlife death tracking. Previously, these processes were conducted manually.

“With the software in place, users simply input the data, and the system automatically generates reports in formats like PDF, ready for submission to the court,” explains Allen.

The system also features an analytics module that provides real-time data on incidents such as wildlife deaths caused by electrocution or hunting. Authorities can retrieve detailed information in formats like Excel, PDF, and graphs, making analysis and reporting seamless.

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.