Helicopter-Driven Boma Technique

• 24 Oct 2025

Why in News?

The Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has, for the first time in India, launched a helicopter-driven Boma technique to capture and relocate blackbucks and nilgais responsible for crop damage in the western parts of the state, marking a pioneering step in wildlife management.

Key Points

• About: The operation commenced in the Kalapipal area of Shajapur district, where blackbucks and nilgais have caused extensive damage to standing crops, posing a major challenge for farmers.
  • The ten-day pilot operation in Shajapur aims to protect farmers’ crops and promote safe, scientific wildlife management, with plans to replicate the initiative in other parts of Madhya Pradesh based on its success.
  • On the first day, 45 blackbucks were captured using the helicopter-driven Boma technique and relocated to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, about 275 km away, under the supervision of a 15-member expert team from South Africa.
• Boma Technique: The Boma technique is a wildlife capture and translocation method developed in Africa.
  • It involves using helicopters and funnel-shaped enclosures (bomas) to herd animals safely into a capture area.
  • The method minimises stress and injury to animals, ensuring safe and efficient relocation.
• Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary:
  • It is located in northwestern Madhya Pradesh, bordering Rajasthan, and spans 368 sq km.  
  • It features a diverse ecosystem of savanna, open grasslands, dry deciduous forests, and riverine areas, and is recognised as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA). 
  • The sanctuary's vegetation is characteristic of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.

Blackbuck 

• About: 
  • It is a flagship indicator of grassland ecosystem health 
  • Primarily inhabits open grasslands and scrublands across states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha. 
• Conservation Status:  
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I 
  • CITES: Appendix III 

Blue Bull (Nilgai)

• About:
  • Largest Asian antelope, belonging to the family Bovidae, is native to the Indian subcontinent.
  • Inhabits lightly wooded forests, scrublands, grasslands, and agricultural areas, and is often seen near human settlements.
• Distribution: Found in India, Nepal, and Pakistan
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule III